The Perfect Day

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I am sitting at a picnic table overlooking a long stretch of white beach on the northwest coast of the North Island. Ahipara is known for surfing, but today the surf is tame, although there are a few people in the water. Rand and I are out for a short 4 day trip as I had a few days off from work.

On Thurs we left Whangarei and headed through the inland portion of Northland towards Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of New Zealand; the part that is closest to the equator.(remember, going north the weather gets warmer!) Last year we visited Bluff, the southernmost tip of New Zealand, so we wanted to balance out our explorations. We passed through Kataia, the largest and most northern town in NZ and continued up the peninsula to Henderson Bay, about halfway to the Cape. We stayed in a lovely hostel “North Winds” (which was aptly named), where we had an airy, large room with a hint of an ocean view. Walking about 10 minutes down a wooded path took us to the ocean, where a rocky beach provided entertainment as we wandered around the tidepools.

Friday we took the kayak out on Parengarenga Harbor. In order to access the boat ramp, we had to a pick up a secret key at the local “dairy” store and drive down a long gravel road to a gate that protects private land., then drive across a paddock. Getting there was part of the adventure! We kayaked over to a giant sandspit where pure white, fine silica sand is heaped up like snowy mountains. Walking through it is a bit like walking through quicksand, but we figure it’s good exercise for the calves!! We had a picnic lunch on this remote peninsula, attended by hopeful seagulls, then had a relaxing kayak around the harbor. The water was crystal clear and warm. What did you say? That you are buried in snow in New Jersey? Sorry!!

Returning to the car, we headed north towards Cape Reinga, which far exceeded my expectations. There is a beautifully groomed path with interpretative statements leading down to the famous lighthouse, but the amazing thing is that the Tasman and Pacific Oceans meet at this point, and their opposing waves crash impressively at the juncture. The Maori people regard this as a sacred place; it is where the spirits of the dead leap off into the ocean and find their spiritual resting home.

The following day we visited some friends, American doctors living in Kataia, and we enjoyed hearing of their experiences in a very rural area. We also introduced them to their electric fry pan, which they had regarded curiously for the past 5 months in their rental house! (and the press coffee pot, and a few other things!)

On Sunday we acted like tourists and took a day charter boat out to the Poor Knight’s Islands, a group of uninhabited volcanic outcroppings about 14 nautical miles off shore. This is a renowned Jacques Cousteau “top ten” diving spot, but we went there for the snorkeling. The islands were rugged and quite dramatic, with lots of natural caves and arches, and since it is a protected marine area, the fish are plentiful. We saw TONS of fish, especially snapper, blue maomao and red moki. The current that feeds the islands is the Eastern Australian Current (EAC), the same one that Nemo travelled on his famous journey. Due to this current there are often tropical fish, turtles and rays in this area that would not otherwise be there. The boat was named “the Perfect Day” and it was close to that!!

Anyway, now awaiting the arrival of my parents, who should be resting up in Tahiti en route to Auckland….more to come!!
(Don't forget that double clicking on any of Rand's gorgeous photos will give you a full size view.)

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Photos

Henderson Bay beach
tidepools to wander around

looks like a tropical island
but just New Zealand!

cape Maria van Diemen
I don't know who she is either, but they named a lovely spot after her!

Sacred Tree
Maori legend says that the spirit of the dead climb down the tree, through the roots and into the sea-hey, who knows?

Tasman and Pacific Oceans Meet
crashing waves in the middle of the sea

Sugarloaf and the Pinnacles
sounds like the names of ski slopes?

Comments

[nancy]

adding salt on the wound
Rob- sounds like a perfect day- great pictures- liked your bathing beauty pose!! given the amount of snow we have here, your pictures give us something to dream of and be jealous of! We are now approaching the fourth day of no school with the rest of the week off. stuck i till yesterday- gotta love our driveway. Snow is reaching almost 30 inches and it is blowing today!! Mark is in NY and may be there for a while! Your parents picked a good time to visit. Take care luv n

[Lois]

MMMM Good!
Wish we were with you, who knows.....in the future!

[Helene Loeb]

The worst winter in history
Hi Robin & Randy, It is nice to see that there is nice weather somewhere on earth, because here we are having the most snow ever, in the history of writing down the weather. We had over 2 feet, yes feet since yesterday. It started at 8 PM yesterday and it is still snowing and is not supposed to stop until 10 PM tonight. I am watching AccuWeather on Channel 6 and they just said that over the past 4 winters we had 62" of snow and this winter we have had so far 65.5" and winter is not over for another month and half. Well, it looks as if you are both seeing the most beautiful scenes in the world and really enjoying yourselves. The pics are great...........stay well! Helene

[michael]

I thought you were one of my best friends. This blog is cruel and unusual punishment while I am working and trudging thru the worst blizzaes in NJ history. Just kidding. I am jealous though- I sure wish I could be seeing those beautiful sights and enjoying the beach. Miss you a lot. Michael

[Candice]

I accidentally deleted our Kaitaia, Cape Rainga, and Poor Knights photos - how lovely to see them again. Loved reading about Bangkok (memories) and Vietnam as well! Keep 'em coming; we need to live vicariously through you.