VISIT TO CAPE REINGA AND 90 MILE BEACH -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

The scenic hotel in Bay of Islands, where we had put up, had lush subtropical gardens and excellent guest facilities; we especially liked the welcoming atmosphere of this resort-style hotel.

The rooms were arranged in a spacious manner with adequate privacy; we thought it made the perfect base from which to explore the beautiful and historic Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is a three-hour drive from Auckland, it encompasses 144 islands, of which the largest is Urupukapuka between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula and includes boutique towns of Opua, Paihia, Russell and Kerikeri which is the largest .  

The bay is irregularly shaped and 16 km-wide, has a 260 km drowned valley system and a natural harbour , it is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its big-game fishing

There are excellent trips by tour operators by sea or air. A passenger ferry service runs between Paihia and Russell, while a vehicle ferry provides a link between Opua and Russell. On land, beautiful river and seaside walking tracks have been created.

With the help of Tony, all of us went to the tour operators and booked a trip to Cape Reinga, 90 Mile Beach, and the sand dunes. The next morning we woke up fresh, had a hearty breakfast and started for Cape Reinga, which is about 210 km by road to the north-west.

As we travelled north, we were in for the stupendous joy of tasting New Zealand's varying and beautiful landscape, the rolling hills of Northland's rural countryside with windy roads, breathtaking coastal views, and native forest. I was especially entranced by the blue skies, the bluest sky I have ever seen in my entire life

It is said that a visit to New Zealand is not complete without a journey to the very top of the North Island, which is Cape Reinga, known for its wild beauty and is an untouched region rich in Māori culture and tradition.

Cape Reinga is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula at the northern end of North Island of New Zealand. State Highway 1 extends all the way to the cape, but until 2010, there was an unsealed gravel road for the last 19 km.

The cape is often mistakenly thought of as being the northernmost point of the North Island, and thus, of mainland New Zealand. However, North Cape’s Surville Cliffs, 30 km east of Cape Reinga and Cape Maria Van Diemen, are slightly further north.

Cape Reinga is said to be on the tentative list of UNESCO, waiting to receive World Heritage Site status

The 'Te Rerenga Wairua' component of the name in the Māori language means the leaping-off place of spirits. The 'Reinga' part of the name is the Māori language word meaning the underworld. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.

According to mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife to leap off the headland, climb the roots of the 800-year-old pohutukawa tree and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiki, using the 'Spirits' pathway'

Having heard so much about the cape from Megan and Tony, we were all very excited to get down from the bus at Cape Reinga, and we started climbing down the trail; we could hardly believe our eyes at the sight stretching before us.

We could see the sea with the crashing waves creating a white froth. People were scrambling down to the picturesque bays/beaches down below. Swimming is however, dangerous due to rips and erratic currents.

As I stood there on that hill looking at the two oceans, the Tasman Sea  with its turquoise waters dashed fiercely against the Pacific Ocean’s darker blue waves; it was spectacular and exciting. Looking at a sea always makes me feel very tiny and humble, and here there was a double dhamaka!

We were literally buffeted by strong winds and had to keep our caps firmly on our heads.I could see parents desperately catching their young children so that they wouldn’t fly away.

There were a lot of signboards and we went down, pointing out the various viewpoints, and though the path was quite steep, we could see a few benches laid for resting.

Finally, we reached the area where the lighthouse was situated.

The lighthouse at Cape Reinga was built in 1941 and first lit in May 1914, replacing a lighthouse located nearby that had been built in 1879. In 1987, the lighthouse was fully automated, and the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn. 
The previous 1000-watt light has since been replaced with a 50-watt flashing beacon

Originally, Motuopao Island was chosen as the site best suited for the location of a lighthouse to protect ships passing through the dangerous, turbulent waters at the northern tip of New Zealand.

However, by the beginning of World War II, it was decided that the light was in the wrong location, so in 1941 the glasshouse and light mechanism on top of the lighthouse were removed and re-erected at the new lighthouse settlement at Te Rerenga Wairua.

Standing at an impressive 10m height and 165m above sea level, it is one of New Zealand’s iconic landmarks.

The Cape Reinga light is electric, with the last lighthouse keeper being withdrawn in 1987. It is now managed remotely by computer from Wellington.

The 1000-watt light bulb magnified by the lens system throws a signal of warning 49 km out to sea and is often the first light in New Zealand that sailors see.

As we were all excitedly taking snaps around it, I felt that the lighthouse was observing us amusedly.

From the lighthouse it is possible to watch the tidal race, as the two seas dash to create unsettled waters just off the coast,

Getting down the track was much easier than going up; panting slightly, we took a sip of cool water and found a clean toilet to our surprise

The trip to Cape Reinga left us with a fascinating spiritual feeling, as we Indians also believe in mythology, I could literally feel spirits departing all around us, creating those  buffeting and strong winds on their way.

Hearts full of spiritual thoughts, we left for the sand dunes. Te Paki is basically a 10 km long, 1 km wide, coastal strip of 150 m high sand dunes

The sand dunes were to be approached through the Te Paki Stream, which can be dangerous at times because of the treacherous driving conditions caused by the interaction of the sand and water.

Drivers have to enter the stream at their own risk, as the sand is quicksand and, in olden days, horses were lost here. If buses stop in the middle of the quicksand, they'll sink into the sand up to the axles in no time at all, so drivers are instructed to engage in low gear to avoid stalling, not stop in the stream or speed, and drive mainly in the centre of the stream bed.

We were told that wet weather and seasonal conditions could cause a rapid deterioration in the stream and beach conditions; however, we were very lucky that day to go through fantastic weather and, after gingerly driving through wet land and sand, the bus stopped at the sand dunes. All around us, we could see enormous sand dunes which are supposed to be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, and the climb to the top was quite tough as we were slipping in the sand, and we also had to take with us sandboards on which we could slide down.

Some of our friends managed to slide down the dunes, and a few enthusiastic people even went sailing into the stream beyond, getting themselves thoroughly wet.

Our next stop was the 90-mile beach which was a misnomer, as the beach is actually 55 miles but in the olden days they measured the distance that a horse could travel in a day which was thirty miles, and as it took a horse 3 days to make the journey, it was called 90 mile beach—but they forgot that the horses were travelling much slower on the soft sand, but even so, the name has stuck!
In the days of sailing ships, many vessels were wrecked on this beach. It needs a lot of dexterity to drive a vehicle on this beach; it was a thrilling experience to race along the beach in a bus with the sea on one side and the waves playfully threatening to gobble us up.

In 1932, the beach was used as the runway for some of the earliest airmail services between Australia and New Zealand. It is officially a public highway and sometimes used as an alternative road to State Highway 1.

After some time, the bus stopped, and we clambered off and sank our feet into the warm sand of the Tasman Sea. It is said that Surf Patrol guys sometimes do 3-5 rescues a day, pulling out cars and motorbikes and rescuing people from crashed vehicles, as well as rescues from other water sport activities.

Our final stop was a shop - Ancient Kauri Kingdom (a shop selling kauri gum products)—where we could see an ancient stairway made of massive kauri logs and stumps extracted from local swamp land, leading up to some more interesting gum products.