Cape Reinga
Next morning we had an early start to travel up to Cape Reinga at the very top of the North Island.
We stopped in Puketi Kauri forest for our first stop of the morning and did a short boardwalk around part of the forest (Manginagina Scenic Walk).
We then stopped for a coffee break and to buy our lunch since we were told there were no shops in the remote area around the Cape. The place we stopped was the Ancient Kauri Kingdom. As well as a cafe they sell all sorts of gifts and furniture made from Kauri wood - since it is illegal to caut Kauri wood all the wood is dug from swamps and the wood is between 30,000 and 50,000 years old. The furniture was very expensive - the centrepiece of the shop was a huge log staircase which was one solid piece of wood with a spiral staircase carved up through the trunk.
Then we went off road onto 90 mile beach. The coach we had was adapted for beach driving and had protection from the salt water. There were also a few cars driving on the beach (car hire firms won't insure you to drive). Cars often get stuck on a beach and we saw the top of a car sticking out of the sand! We made a stop on the beach and got some fresh sea air before moving on to Te Paki quicksand stream which we actually turned into and drove up. We stopped again on a dry piece of sand and then we got to go Sand Boarding down the giat sand dunes. I was a bit nervous on my first run as I did not want to get covered in sand but by the 3rd go I was really enjoying myself.
We stopped for lunch at a scenic bay before making our way to the Cape.
Cape Reinga is an impressive place where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean - there is a lighthouse right on the tip of the Cape. According to Māori mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife in the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland by leaping off the ancient pohutukawa tree on the cape. They turn briefly at the Three Kings Islands for one last look back towards the land, then continue on their journey. There are also a number of signposts at the Cape which show direction and distance of some international cities.
From the Cape we headed back to Paihia. That night I went to the Saltwater Lodge where it was 1 pound a pint all night. There was also a raffle and I won 50% off a sailing trip in Aucklnad (unfortunately the weather was too bad to use it).
Next day the weather changed and it started raining as we left Paihia to go back to Auckland. I had a night out in Auckland and we went to the Globe Bar, Shakespeares Tavern (micro-brewery pub) and finally to O'Carrolls Irish bar. It was a late night and I was tired when I had to get up to head to Waitomo.
We stopped in Puketi Kauri forest for our first stop of the morning and did a short boardwalk around part of the forest (Manginagina Scenic Walk).
We then stopped for a coffee break and to buy our lunch since we were told there were no shops in the remote area around the Cape. The place we stopped was the Ancient Kauri Kingdom. As well as a cafe they sell all sorts of gifts and furniture made from Kauri wood - since it is illegal to caut Kauri wood all the wood is dug from swamps and the wood is between 30,000 and 50,000 years old. The furniture was very expensive - the centrepiece of the shop was a huge log staircase which was one solid piece of wood with a spiral staircase carved up through the trunk.
Then we went off road onto 90 mile beach. The coach we had was adapted for beach driving and had protection from the salt water. There were also a few cars driving on the beach (car hire firms won't insure you to drive). Cars often get stuck on a beach and we saw the top of a car sticking out of the sand! We made a stop on the beach and got some fresh sea air before moving on to Te Paki quicksand stream which we actually turned into and drove up. We stopped again on a dry piece of sand and then we got to go Sand Boarding down the giat sand dunes. I was a bit nervous on my first run as I did not want to get covered in sand but by the 3rd go I was really enjoying myself.
We stopped for lunch at a scenic bay before making our way to the Cape.
Cape Reinga is an impressive place where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean - there is a lighthouse right on the tip of the Cape. According to Māori mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife in the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland by leaping off the ancient pohutukawa tree on the cape. They turn briefly at the Three Kings Islands for one last look back towards the land, then continue on their journey. There are also a number of signposts at the Cape which show direction and distance of some international cities.
From the Cape we headed back to Paihia. That night I went to the Saltwater Lodge where it was 1 pound a pint all night. There was also a raffle and I won 50% off a sailing trip in Aucklnad (unfortunately the weather was too bad to use it).
Next day the weather changed and it started raining as we left Paihia to go back to Auckland. I had a night out in Auckland and we went to the Globe Bar, Shakespeares Tavern (micro-brewery pub) and finally to O'Carrolls Irish bar. It was a late night and I was tired when I had to get up to head to Waitomo.
posted by Phil at 7:22 AM
1 Comments:
Sounds like such a hard life, all those late nights and early morning!
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