April 29th, 2016

Day 31: The Far North

We decided to camp out at Spirits Bay the night before – the park was a bit packed, but the beach was pretty empty when we explored the next morning. After breakfast, we made our way to Cape Reinga, stopping at the Giant Te Paki Sand Dunes along the way. Our timing was perfect – we had the dunes all to ourselves! Climbing the dunes was very challenging, but the views were very rewarding.

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Sunrise walk on the beach in Spirits Bay

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Peaceful moment in Spirit Bay

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First ones in the carpark – we have the dunes to ourselves!

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Quite a climb to the top! These boots need a rest!

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View from the top of the Giant Te Paki Sand Dunes

Igor had a lot of fun coming back down the dunes. While other people rent boogie boards to slide down the dunes, Igor decided it would be a bright idea to roll down the dunes. I love my husband – he’s very entertaining.

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Igor is King of the Mountain – until he tumbles down

The very tip of the North Island is Cape Reinga, or Te Rerenga Wairua – a very spiritual place for the Maori. According to their folklore, the spirits of the deceased pass through here before returning to their ancient homeland. At the very end of the walkway is the Cape Reinga Lighthouse, right where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.

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Trailhead for Twilight Beach – just a quick hop over the fence

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Panorama of the Far North

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The 800-year-old pohutukawa tree which Maori spirits must climb before returning to their homeland

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The lighthouse at Cape Reinga – fully automated with solar panels

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The turbulent waters of Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean

Since we couldn’t go any further, we turned South, this time heading for the West Coast of Northland, stopping at mile 25 of the 90-Mile Beach.

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90-Mile Beach (which is only 54 miles – gotta love Marketing)

We spent the night at the Trounson Kauri Park (recommended by our Canadian friend from the Routeburn Track – hi Rachel!), which is known for kiwi sightings. We got the park just after sundown, so we headed into the forest looking for a loud, screechy jungle chicken. We soon ran into a group of about two dozen tourists following a park ranger – we figured we would never find a kiwi with that many people, so we headed back to the RV for dinner & a bottle of wine. Around 10PM, we decided it would be an awesome idea to go back into the forest looking for some kiwi! After about 30 minutes, we did hear a really freaky screech, but unfortunately it wasn’t close enough for us to locate the bird. We stumbled back to bed, only to hear the kiwis screaming throughout the night.