Rather than drive up
to Cape Reinga (the most northerly point in New Zealand) last night we have
opted for a tour to the cape with Sand Safari.
One advantage of the
tour is that we get to actually drive along 90 Mile Beach, something we are not
allowed to do in our campervan, and after getting stuck in the mud the other
day the last thing we want is stuck in quicksand on 90 Mile Beach…
We are one of the
first couples picked up by Danny the tour guide / bus driver and as we set off
he tells us about the trip the day before that got turned off the beach by big
waves getting washed in by the strong winds.
This makes us think it was a good idea not to camp at the Cape last
night.
After a quick stop at
the slightly tacky Kauri Kingdom to pick up the others for the tour we head off
down the beach. This is actually quite
fun as there are strong winds buffeting us and we power on at 90kms/hr to avoid
getting stuck in the soft sand.
After some chat fromDanny about how 90 Mile Beach isn’t actually 90 miles long, a little up the
beach we stop to have a look at the famous ‘hole in the rock’ which can’t be
seen today due to the bank of sea spray, but we do get the chance to see just
how far in some of the waves get at low tide…
Two bus loads of tourists dodging waves |
From here we head off
the beach and up a stream bed to the massive 200ft TePaki sand dunes. It’s time to dig out the toboggans and boogie
boards and start climbing.
TePaki Sand Dunes - MASSIVE ! |
Mrs M opts for a toboggan
for a graceful slide down the dune, but I decide the only way is the high
velocity boogie board and whizz past Mrs M at 30+mph on my second run (so fast
in fact Mrs M nearly missed me off the photo completely!).
Am on a boogie board - honest |
Here is an example of what it looks like on video (not ours but gives an impression of how fast you go). Next up is a spot of
lunch and then up to the cape just in time for some rain.
Mrs M at Cape Reinga - wet |
Up here we see the
sacred 800year old Pohutukawa tree as well as the confluence of the Tasman Sea
and the Pacific Ocean (the choppy water above Mrs M’s right shoulder).
The run back from the
cape is broken up with some more stunning beaches and the biggest ice cream we
have ever had.
Pohutukawa tree hanging on |
Back at the camp site
around 5:30 and we have had a great day in far Northland.
Mr & Mrs M
Cape Reinga in the rain, a bit reminicent of Cape Wrath !
ReplyDeleteDo you remember, Mr M ?