A Wonderful Day at Cape Reinga

 

 

Our primary reason for returning to New Zealand was to do some touring around to see something of the scenery for which it’s famous.  Last year, some very major boat projects prevented us from doing anything but we had high hopes for this year.  However, Murphy entered the picture and Paul has been stuck again, with some fairly major repairs, primarily the replacement of all our ugly, leaking port lights, causing damage and eating up our meagre funds in the process.

But, for once, it was not all work and no play.  Otto & Lil, our good friends aboard Vagabond actually persuaded Paul to take a day off so that we could all take a trip up to the northern most point of New Zealand - well done, you achieved the almost impossible!  Sadly, they are moving permanently down to Taranga this week, so it was a golden opportunity for one last excursion together and what a lovely day it proved to be.  The diversity of this trip was quite amazing.  One minute we were in the rainforests of Brazil and the next, climbing the sand dunes of the Kalahari.  

 

When we’d left our boats in the early morning, the low-lying clouds had made it very foggy and now the clouds lay low in the valleys creating some astounding scenery.

 

Our first stop was to see the magnificent kauri trees in the Puketi Forest; enormous, tall examples of a tree that once covered New Zealand but are now under severe threat of extinction.   

These superb giants can grow to 50 metres tall and can live for over 2000 years. They were cut down by the thousands as they grow very straight making them ideal for the construction of buildings, ships, furniture and carvings. 

Only in very recent times were procedures put in place to protect the remaining numbers.

As we headed northwards, the terrain became drier and drier until we reached 90-mile beach, a remarkably long straight stretch of flat sand that one can drive along at low tide, even without 4WD.  Absolutely glorious!

 

 

From there we stopped at the headland for a picnic lunch but were absolutely bewildered by the rule that does not allow you to eat anywhere there.  Oddly, we were informed that if we wandered off into the bushes (in our case flowers) and sit looking out at the most amazing view, that would be perfectly acceptable.  Can’t quite work that one out.  It was then about a half hour hike to the lighthouse which, interesting enough, if you were to stand at the lighthouse at the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of South Africa, and compare it to standing at this one at the northern tip of New Zealand, you would pretty well be standing at the same latitude.

 

Next the sand dunes.  Wow, this was really quite an awesome sight – the photos can’t do them justice, but we managed to hike up the highest one egged on by Paul who can’t let something like that go unchallenged.  It’s possible to hire body boards to surf down the dunes but we just stuck to our feet.

By this stage, time was marching on and we still had several hundred kilometres to go to get back home but that didn’t stop us from stopping off in Mangonui where we had heard of a place serving fabulous fish & chips.  They were, indeed, extremely good and we enjoyed a glass of wine as the sun was setting in the background.  A truly great day!  Thanks to Vagabond for dragging Paul away, he thoroughly enjoyed it as well and never complained once about taking time off and having too much work to do.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Tree Huggers

This is a mighty big tree!

90-Mile Beach

 Scenes around Cape Reinga:

 

Looking out on the Tasman Sea

It was so calm, even the clouds were reflecting on the sea

  

The Cape Reinga Lighthouse

 

A Long way from anywhere!

 

It didn't look too bad from down below

The tiny dot is Paul climbing up

And up.....

We made it!

 

Sandboarding

A welcome sundowner toast

Great  place to stop