Cape Reinga
Trip Start
Feb 17, 2005
1
110
123
Trip End
Feb 27, 2006
Kaitaia,
New Zealand
Monday, January 16, 2006
We had hare and noodle soup for lunch, another new one for me, and it tasted just like braisen steak, i.e. very nice! It was a bit of a squeeze getting everything into the 4x4, but we managed it (although poor Fern barely had room to lay down!). We included plenty of buckets as we were determined to catch more tuatuas at some point...
Our first stop came at Pukenui, where Ann bought us all an ice cream - a welcome treat as it had actually turned into a lovely, sunny day
1
. We didn't hang around though because we wanted to get up to Cape Reinga, which was about an hour further north. Graeme acted as tour guide along the way, filling me in on the area's history and showing me his favourite hunting haunts.The last few kilometres were along a gravel road, but it wasn't long before we reached the car park...and there were great views of the sweeping beaches on either side. I had to laugh when Graeme let Fern out of the car, as within seconds she was 'doing what she had to do' right next to a 'No Dogs Allowed' sign! I think she did it on purpose in defiance of the authorities, a trait in her personality that she surely inherited from Graeme!
Graeme stayed at the car while Ann and me walked to the lighthouse, as he had his gun with him and he didn't want any potential thieves getting their hands on it. Unfortunately, car thefts are quite common in New Zealand, particularly at tourist hotspots like this one, so it was better to err on the safe side.
We spent about 25 minutes walking around and taking in the views. I certainly could see where the two oceans met, and it was a pretty awesome sight. It really did have an end-of-the-world feel to it, as you looked out to be greeted by huge expanses of water
2
. It lived up to expectations, and more, and I was thankful to Ann and Graeme for taking me there.The journey to Cape Reinga was only the start of our trip though, and afterwards we proceeded to Ninety Mile Beach via some huge sand dunes. We'd brought a couple of toboggans with us, so Ann and me climbed to the top of one such dune with the intention of sliding down to the bottom. However, our attention was diverted en route when Fern, who'd obviously eaten too much at some point, decided to do her business again in the middle of a slope! Knowing my luck, I thought I'd slide straight through that, so I made sure I was some distance away before starting my descent.
It was a fun experience, but not hairraising...it was almost like I weighed too much for the toboggan (they had been feeding me too well!). I enjoyed it though, and the scenery was great with nobody else around - the tour buses had long since departed. Ann went and buried Fern's you know what, and then we were ready to go in search of tuatuas...
After driving along the deserted Ninety Mile Beach for 10 minutes, we pulled over at what we hoped was a good spot for tuatuas
3
. Graeme was off like a rocket, and soon gave the signal that he could feel some underneath his feet, so I joined him in the water. It was really easy collecting them, despite the big waves, and you could often pick up 3 or 4 of the blighters at a time. Therefore it didn't take long for us to fill our buckets, and we could all look forward to a tuatua feast the next day.Further along the beach, we stopped for a picnic, although Graeme was preoccupied with trying to find some good targets - I was going to try my luck with the shotgun. He found a few bottles and an old tin, and some 30 metres away, I knelt down and rested the gun on the car bonnet. There was a bit of wind around, so I had to aim to the right of the targets, but I did alright...scoring a few direct hits and a couple of near misses. Not bad, but I had to save some bullets in case we saw any rabbits on the way home...
We didn't have to wait very long, as within minutes of leaving the beach, eagle eye Graeme spotted one at the side of the gravel track. As soon as he sees a potential catch, he focuses on it 100% and never takes his eyes off it. The little fellow was there for the taking, sat stationary no more than 10 metres away, so I reluctantly passed Graeme the gun. Unfortunately (though I was hardly devastated), the rabbit had decided to make a run for it by the time Graeme had loaded the bullet...a lucky escape
4
!We saw plenty more as we continued along at a slow pace, and even encountered a few wild horses. The rabbits were all smart enough to run when they heard the 4x4 approaching...all except one that is. I didn't even see this one, but Graeme suddenly stopped the car and motioned for me to pass him the gun. This time there were no more mistakes, and Graeme left the car to go and retrieve him. Casual as you like, he got his knife out and gutted the rabbit, giving Fern a treat in the process...the heart!
Just before we arrived home, we washed the car at a car wash, and I got soaking wet as Graeme 'inadvertently' sprayed me with the hosepipe! It was nice to cool down though after a busy, but very successful day...
