Venturing to the Northern Tip of New Zealand

Rainbow Falls

Now fed up of Auckland's appalling weather I took 'The Naked Bus' (yes, you heard) up the coast to Kerikeri, the most northern biggish town. On arriving despite the weather being pretty rubbish I hiked to tracks around the town inluding the walking track to Rainbow Falls via the Fairy Pools. I wasn't expecting the falls to be as spectacular as they were, having seen what qualified as a 'big waterfall' in other areas of NZ I was suprised to find that after just an hours walk on the track you make it to a very gratifying, impressive sight!

Kemp House

Other sites I visited around the area included the two oldest buildings in the country, The Stone House and Kemp House, the latter built in 1820. So that's as far as NZ's history exhibits go, not even 200 years!! I stayed at Hone Heke Lodge, a very homely place where seasonal workers head out to pick Avocado's, Kiwi Fruit, oranges and other such delights.

90 Mile Beach

On my third day I took a tour up to the northern tip of New Zealand known as Cape Reinga. I have to say the tour was fantastic, costing around $135 you were taken right up the 90 mile beach, did some dune boarding (fantastic fun, if you don't mind getting soaked!) then up to the northern point where you got to witness the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meeting. Seeing two seas crashing against eachother is magnificant to say the least! The Maori say it represents sex. They're just being dirty minded if you ask me. But that's not the only Maori belief I learnt on the trip, they also believe that when people die their spirits walk up the middle of New Zealand to this point and descend down the roots of a pohutukawa tree into the sea to journey back to the mythical homeland where the Maori originally moved from. Frankly I'd like to ask the question what happens if someone cuts down the tree? Are their souls forever screwed? I'm not gonna do it... just saying though.. bit silly to put all your hopes on one tree which might die or something..

The Meeting of Two Seas

Couch costing $55,000

Kauri Staircase

On the return from the tip we stopped off at a gum-digging site where people used to dig down to the buried Kauri forests and take the gum-sap type thingy to be used as varnish. It has been compared to a 'gold-rush' and is very valuable, for instance Ancient Kauri wood is one of the most expensive timbers in existence due to it being thousands of years old. The picture to the right shows the most expensive carving in Kauri World show rooms, to give you some idea! It was a fantastic trip, concluded with fish and chips in Magonui in a building that extends into the harbour on stilts. Brilliant, I had a great time and thoroughly reccommend others to go up and visit!!

Mangonui Fish Shop