Drove up to our furthest location in the Northlands today. Stopped on the way to have a look at Rainbow Falls near Kerikeri, which were very nice, and then stopped for a good couple of hours at a beach along the massive Doubtless Bay called Coopers beach, another fantastic spot. Before getting to our airbnb we took a short detour to look at 90 mile beach, a massive expanse of beach on the west coast of the North island. Even though we had a 4 wheel drive we couldn’t drive on it due to the car rental company not allowing it in their insurance contract. Still great to have a look at it though.
Got to airbnb which we’re extremely happy with. A lovely spacious unit with everything we need for our 6 night stay here.
On day 1 we drove down to the end of the road to Henderson Bay, what a beautiful spot that is. The picture headlining this post is one of the bay. We hardly saw anyone all day. I think in total about 6 people came and went while we were there, so it was literally like having a piece of paradise to ourselves for the day. On the way home I went to have a look at the most northern golf course in New Zealand called Houhora GC. Had a little chat with the groundsman who was very proud of the condition of the course, and he explained the layout of this pretty little 9 hole course. The club has 60 members apparently.
Days 2 and 3 we just enjoyed visiting some more amazing beaches in the area, and also about an hour south to the Kari Kari peninsular. Also had a drink at the local bar and a meal out at the Houhora fishing club which was very nice.
Day 4 we set off for the top of New Zealand, Cape Reinga, about a 40 minute drive from where we are staying. On the way we took a small detour to the Te Paki sand dunes. These giant dunes are an amazing sight, and well worth a visit. If you fancy it yo can hire boards to slide down the various slopes, but be warned the climb up is pretty hard going, so probably only something for the young and the very fit. We just watched obviously, but we still had to climb quite a bit to get a vantage point.
It was then onto Cape Reinga, where the Tasman sea meets the Pacific. Amazing rugged natural scenery and stunning coastline views abound. It is a beautiful spot and a very sacred one to the Maori people. Visited a couple of wonderful beaches on the way back down, but unfortunately the weather had deteriorated somewhat, still pleasant but not really good enough to sit on the beach today.
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