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Ton-eus and the Underworld
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We went up a long and winding gravel road with huge sheer drops to the rocks and sea below to get to Cape Reinga at the very tip of NZ. We walked to the lighthouse on the cliff overlooking the point where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. At the very tip of the cape is an 800 year old tree whose roots hide the entrance to the Maori Underworld, believed to be the place where the spirits of the dead leave the Earth. It's very dramatic there with the waves crashing against the rocks, and this sacred area is a place of outstanding beauty. We walked along a cliff path to get fantastic views of the cape and the raging seas.
Another very bad gravel road eventually took us to the gorgeous white-sandy and practically deserted Spirits Bay. It is a really stunning place with clear blue waters and it is a place you could stay for ages just sitting and looking at the view. We messed about on the beach and had a little picnic and admired the horses on the hills. The sun was out the whole time and you'd never think it was winter. This is the good thing about traveling off season - you get all these beautiful places to yourself.
Back in the Spaceship Orion for the journey to Opononi at the northern tip of the longest beach in NZ. Got there quite late so just parked, made dinner and read in the Spaceship. The bookswap here wasn't up to much so Sara has moved from the classic Rebecca to a Danielle Steel novel and T is reading classic vampire literature. To the outsider we must look so trashy living in our van and reading this stuff.. More thumbnails ...
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