2020 - Northland, NZ (Part 2 - Cape Reinga)
To the northern most point
Wednesday 30 December 2020 - Wednesday 30 December 2020
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2020 Northland
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Wednesday 30 December
We decided to do a trip up to Cape Reinga. I have not been up there since we were kids. The bus tour started in Kerikeri and picked us up in Mangonui. My parents and sister had also booked the tour starting in Kerikeri.
A short drive to Awanui to collect some more passengers and we were off. The road going north has finally been sealed as it used to be a goat track suitable for 4WD vehicles only.
The scenery is great with lots of forests (both plantation and native) and farms. The predominate crops are watermelons and avocados. In fact some of the largest avocado orchards in NZ are way up north.
An hour or so later we arrived at Cape Reinga. It has been developed really well, with a decent sized car park, well maintained trail to the lighthouse and lots of information boards.
Cape Reinga.
The pathway to the lighthouse.
The lighthouse at Cape Reinga.
Looking across towards North Cape.
The signpost at Cape Reinga.
A flame tree.
Looking back down the west coast from Cape Reinga.
From the lighthouse we drove around the corner to Tapotupotu Bay for lunch. There is not much here, just a beach, a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite and a car park. It is so remote that it is not somewhere you end up accidentally, it is somewhere you deliberately want to get to. The next pub or shop heading north is either Noumea in New Caledonia, Port Vila in Vanuatu or Suva in Fiji.
Tapotupotu Bay.
After a basic lunch, we carried on south (Can't really go any other direction) and turned off at the Te Paki Stream. Ninety Mile Beach is a designated highway and Te Paki Stream is an official entrance to the beach.
The Te Paki Stream.
One of the main activities here is surfing down the very large sand dunes. The tour bus carried body boards for those interested.
Tourists at Te Paki.
Our bus.
The sand dunes at Te Paki.
Surfing the sand dunes at Te Paki.
Once were were on the beach we drove almost the full length of it, exiting at Waipapakauri, near to Awanui.
Spoiler Alert
Ninety Mile Beach is not 90 miles long, more like 88 kilometres. No idea why it is called Ninety Mile Beach.
Matapia Island.
The northern end of Ninety Mile Beach.
From there back to Awanui to drop off passengers and then back to Mangonui to drop us off late afternoon.
Posted by nzhamsta 12:00 Archived in New Zealand
