Blogs from Northland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 29

I left the dead guy in a coffin back in Kerikeri and headed north to Kaitaia (exciting start, isn’t it?). What can I say about Kaitaia? As I’m trying to keep bit this short: not much. It is primarily a base for the nationally famous Cape Reinga tours and as this is what I wanted to do, I made my way to its starting point. Cape Reinga is one of the most northerly points in New Zealand. Not the most northerly point. This lies elsewhere, presumably to the north. However the cape does have a picturesque lighthouse which the other spot does not; hence, everyone heads to Cape Reinga. From the craggy outcrop it is possible to view where the Abel Tasman Sea meets the mighty Pacific Ocean. A distinctive line can be seen where the ... read more

We (me, Danny and Ian) set off on a sunny Sunday along the Twin Coast Discovery Road which takes you all around the Northlands of New Zealand. The roads were very twisty and turny, testing my driving skills but the views were wonderful of all the hills and valleys sweeping across the landscape. Had to stop every now and then to have a good look myself! Everything is such an intense green over here, it's great. We wanted to go to the Waipu Caves and after getting a bit lost and arguing over directions we got to them, only to realise you needed proper caving gear for them...nevermind... We kept driving north aiming towards Whangarei (Fang-ga-ray) where we stayed the night. Before getting to the cosy hostel we drove towards the coast to watch the sunset ... read more

Again the weather looked to be in our favour as we headed for the cape. By now we were on the smallest peninsula of New Zealand headed for the very top. It was on this morning that Garreth got a call from his mum in Ireland asking if the Tsunami had hit yet. Until that point we had heard nothing of it. It turns out that an Earth quake north of New Zealand could have possible triggered a Tsunami. Well we weren’t going to let a bit of water get in our way. It had taken us three days to get up here. We continued on our way and went to 90 mile beach. Well if it was going to happen we wanted to get a good view. Despite the lack of a wall of water ... read more

The next destination was 90 mile beach and Cape Reinga. 90 mile beach was pretty sweet, the sand is so compacted you could actually drive your car on the beach. We did take Heather out…she didn’t enjoy it too much but we got her out just fine, unlike some cars that where buried. It was neat to be able to look down the beach and all you could see was shore line, 90 miles of beach…heaven. We then headed even more north to ‘the Cape’. Now ‘the Cape’ is the MOST north point you can get to in NZ, and it is the point where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide. The only way to get there is to drive this crazy windy road where the last 15-20km where dirt…oh yeah more dirt roads, ... read more

Drove from Paihia (2 hours) to Ahipara where we stayed at Endless Summer Lodge. Named after a definitive surf movie filmed in 1966 called The Endless Summer. A really great hostel - better than most hotels we've stayed in for a fraction of the price. After a day of walking along the endless beaches and relaxing, took a tour to Cape Reinga - where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet. The day included a speedy 4-wheel drive along 90 mile beach and sand surfing down enormous sand dunes!! Great fun!! Also stopped off at url=http://www.ancientkauri.co.nz/Ancient Kauri Kingdom and Gum Diggers Park.... read more