The Far North

Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean

We spent the last few days in Northland, which is basically the area north of Auckland.  It is known for its warm climate, nice beaches, and strong Maori culture.  Colonization of New Zealand started from the north, as this is the area where the Polynesians landed when they originally arrived on the island. The British also populated this area first, before spreading southward.  It is known as the “winterless north” because it has a subtropical climate.  The temperature can get as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and never gets below zero. It averages seven rainy days per month in the summer, and 16 in winter.  The entire area has a remote feel to it, which is nice, like we’re away from all the hustle and bustle. 

We spent one day exploring the beaches of the Karikari Peninsula, all of which are stunningly beautiful.  Gorgeous white sand and clear turquoise water (if only the water was warmer!).  Daron did some snorkeling, and I was basically a lazy bum on the beach!  SO nice! 

Daron on 90 Mile Beach

The next day we decided to splurge and take a tour of the far north, all the way to the tip.  It was nice to let someone else do the driving for a change.  The west coast of this area consists of one loooong rugged beach.  Captain Cook estimated its length and named it 90 Mile Beach, when in fact it is actually 67 miles long (still an impressive length!).  A person can drive along the beach, which is what our tour bus did – the entire length of it.  It is very rugged and feels untouched, a rarity in today’s world.  We hardly saw a soul during the entire drive up the coast.  Our driver even did donuts with the bus on the beach! 

At the end of 90 Mile Beach our tour guide drove the bus up a shallow stream (only in NZ!) to the giant sand dunes at Te Paki.  He brought out sleds for us to use to slide down the dunes.  Daron and I had tried this before in Great Sand Dune National Park in Colorado - we hauled two sleds up the highest dune in the Park (ugh!), only to discover that all we did was sink into the sand, rather than slide anywhere.  Lots of effort for nothing!  We were skeptical about it working this time around, but lo and behold, it did!  The lighter folks slid down the hill with speed, while the heavier ones had to almost push themselves down.  I’m not sure what is different with the sand dunes here, but it was a thrill to sled down them! 

Getting ready to shred a sand dune!

We were able to spend some time at Cape Reinga, which is the northernmost point of New Zealand.  It is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet.  In stormy weather the place where the two oceans meet can produce waves up to 33 feet high!  Maori believe that Cape Reinga is the departure place for the spirits of the recently deceased.  The spirits are believed to climb down the twisted 800 year old pohutukawa tree on the cliff to reach the ocean, and then they swim north to the ancestral lands of Hawaiki.  The views from this point are magnificent – blue, blue ocean all around and as far as the eye can see.  I can see why the Maori thought it was a special place – it definitely has that feeling.  

Giant kauri tree

Northland also contains the last of the kauri forests.  The giant kauri trees are the largest and oldest rainforest trees left in the world.  The tree Tane Mahuna is the 2,000 year old “Lord of the Forest,” with a girth of 45 feet and a height of 168 feet.  Quite a massive tree!  We felt like we were in the presence of royalty while visiting him.  The trees once covered much of the north island, before the Europeans discovered how useful the wood was for building houses and ships - they started logging the trees in 1820. Logging was finally halted in 1972 – today it is thought that only 4% of the original kauri forests are left.  I can only imagine how an entire forest of giant kauri trees must have looked like – a person would feel like a miniscule ant amongst them. 

Originally we didn’t think we would have time to get to the far north of New Zealand, but somehow we were able to fit it in.  I’m glad we did because it turned out to be one of our favorite places here!