Oceans apart at Cape Reinga
Trip Start
Dec 29, 2007
1
31
42
Trip End
Ongoing
Cape Reinga,
New Zealand
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Figuring we could do a loop of northland to take in the max we opted to first attack the western Kauri coast of the Twin coast Highway. The weather was as changable as a chameleon. We motored up through the country towns of Warkworth, Welsford & Kaiwaka before heading west. They are on a par with rural Irish towns complete with locals staring at you in suspicion from the moment you enter. Our first real stop about 2 hours into the journey was the ancient Kauri Museum in Matakohe
Kees, D & V @ Northern Wairoa River Dargaville
. This was just the beginning as kauri would stalk us for the duration. You know a place is going to blow you away when it's known for being the country's capital of kumara, NZ sweet potato, & Dargaville was no exception. We walked along the diarrohea brown Northern Wairoa river into the metropolis of Normanby St where the silence was deafening. Other than a second hand store playing Foster & Allen nothing grabbed our attention. There really was more to do in a padded cell.
Onwards & upwards we made our way to the seaside village of Baylys beach known for its old shipwrecks, wide beach with has a backdrop of huge sand dunes. The heavens opened on arrival so we didn't overstay our welcome. It would be a cardinal sin to term Nz scenery boring but I wasn't overly peeved off when on cue a kauri artisan shop broke up the green reign. Naturally, in true tourist style we invested in overpriced souvenirs although the kauri gum a la Jurassic Park was a find. It seaps from the kauri tree but with a little TLC it turns a goldy colour. When held up to the light you can see insects held inside potentially thousands of years old.
The route lead us past Trounson forest behind jammed yanky & German tour buses onto Waipoua Forest to see Tana Mahuta, the largest Kauri tree in the world. At 51m tall & estimated to be between 1250-2500 years old it stands out like the stiffy by the Liffey. Again it downpoured on approach so after the kodak moment we made like a drum & beat it
Cold, windy, rainy so it's obvious
. Pushing on past noon we headed towards Hokianga Harbour taking in the panoramic views before stopping at the small coastal township of Opononi. Only in Nz can you find a pub with a bookie. A horrific game of pool signalled the end of the sojourn before motoring to Rawene to catch the short car ferry ride across the harbour. On reaching the otherside we decided to stick with the coastal route & headed towards Broadwood. This wasn't our brightest idea as we were forced to navigate around crater sized potholes & deteriorating crumbling road surfaces the further into isolation we ventured. There was a strong Maori & pacific islander community evident in the amount of maraes signposted up north & particularly to the west. It has potential to become a tourist spot but requires investment.
After many twists & turns we eventually ended up at roaring Kaitaia, a subtle cross between Harlem & Ballymun. After stopping in at Tourist info we eventually sussed a dated hostel/bar for $30 a head a few doors down the street. I was aware the town had a rep beforehand & to be fair I felt as safe as a cow in the abattoir queue. We took a wander round the town which was desolate apart from Liquorland & every car drag racing up & down its only street. After all the driving & a Chinese I was only fit for 40 winks. We were informed there were no bars open besides that of our hostel as there were 3 21sts that night & our own bar was empty
D @ Tane Mahuta
. Of course that didn't stop the building erupting into full swing at 2am & continuing through to dawn. My phone also went AWOL so yeah Kaitaia ... woohoo.After eventually resurrecting ourselves sleep deprived we grabbed a customary pie & filled up before heading to the far north. Bypassing yet another kauri gift shop & kauri gumdiggers park, we first stopped off at the beginning of 90 mile beach. This beach stretches the length of the western coast of the far north & can be driven on using a 4x4 to the most northern point at 100 k/h, Cape Reinga. The tide was in & the wind speed was incredible. Waves rolled towards us with brutal force & I didn't feel like rogering myself by chancing the wheels. Instead we eased to the top putting Betsy to the test with appalling unsealed roads for the last 20 km. Given the chance again I would rent a car for seeing the far north as the roads are just too poor in many places.
On approach it seems that the whole world is being opened up to you after traipsing along the sheltered narrow track. The view at the top is sublime & the weather stayed dry fortunately. You reach the lighthouse, cast your eyes out on water & plainly see the waves from the Tasman sea colliding with those from the Pacific Ocean creating a whole ripple effect. I had never felt gale force winds like that in being able to lean against the wind & remain upright. It had even ripped the signs off the signpost at the lighthouse
Posers
. We took a stroll along the coast overlooking the water. We were surrounded by untouched bush, forestry & sheep in green fields extending as far as the eye could see. After the barrage of photos in the token tourist pose we did a U turn & began the long road back. It took about 15 minutes to find the next distraction - sandboarding down the giant sand dunes. At $15 a board we opted to give it a go but within 2 mins of renting, the rain returned. It lasted a few minutes before we got amazing blue skies & sun, then the shenanigans continued. It didn't look so far up from the bottom & I didn't expect it to sap me of energy getting to the top but it was & it did. It was a rush but taking seconds to descend & 10 mins to ascend the novelty soon wore off. With sand in every orifice we crustily set off south stopping only at the white silica beach of Rarawa beach. Again we were cursed the very second we exited the car it started to lash so we continued to the unavoidable king of all kauri craft shops just outside Kaitaia.
The kms were being clocked up thick & fast but the difference in scenery was exceptional coming down the east coast. There was a distinct difference in affluence. Mansions dotted the route, roads improved dramatically & the sun came out in force so it helped. We got stunning coastline views that continued all the way through to our final stop Kerikeri. The town was compact, laced with palm trees & gave the appearance of a rich mans hide-away
Windy 90 mile beach
. Looking to bounce back from the previous night's fate we struck gold with a cabin in Kerikeri Holiday Park, $25 a pop. It was in a perfect location just outside the centre & uber clean. It didn't take long to walk around Kerikeri. There was nada to do except hound down a curry & call it a night.Our last day got off to a frosty start but turned out to be the sweetest. We passed by Haruru Falls swiftly before bombing it to Paihia, pretty much the centre of the Bay of Islands. Timed to perfection we just arrived for the 10am 'Hole in the rock' cruise. It was sheer bliss out there. We stopped first at Russell, Nz's first capital, which has now become a millionaire's haven. It's one of the most expensive places to buy a house in Nz. The captain brought us round some of the islands stopping at some millionaire pads along the way informing us some of the 144 islands are privately owned; shock horror! We got the full historical guide before jetting off to Motukokako Island (the hole in the rock) passing Cape Brett before returning to Urupukapuka Island for a wander & grub. Considerably helped by the weather, the views were out of this world but all good things had to come to an end.
After getting back & relaxing we went on one last trip to overlook the bay & Paihia itself which incidentally in the previous 30 mins hadn't lost its appeal. It was kick back & sunbathe weather except we had 3 hours of driving ahead of us. One enforced stop was Kawakawa. You can't but stop in a place that is noted for its public toilets designed by an Austrian artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It would have been rude not to baptise it. It has a tree growing on top where supposedly a weed plant was also found growing recently. Other than a brief stop at the impressive Whangerei falls we returned back to Grey Lynn where it all begun. Northland is definitely worth a visit especially the east coast but doing it all again I would hire a car. Bring on the next 3 day weekend...
