5 minute read
AMAZING PLACES Discover the Far North
REACHING THE FAR NORTH TAKES A FEW DAYS OUT OF THE CALENDAR BUT IT’S WORTH EVERY MINUTE OF YOUR TIME.
Home to Cape Rēinga, the very tip of the top, it’s here a lighthouse sits and proudly watches the Pacific Ocean collide with the Tasman Sea. Nearby is where the spirits of deceased Māori leap into the waters to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki.
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The endless snow-white sands of Great Exhibition Bay are just north of Rarawa and almost always deserted. This is because there is no public road access; you’ll need to hike from Rarawa Beach, book a quad bike tour, or kayak. Your efforts will be rewarded with silica-rich sand reminiscent of a Tahitian beach.
Up in the wild north you can also enjoy the novelty of using the beach as a highway. Ninety Mile Beach presents the unique opportunity to legally drive along flat, golden sand in a four-wheel drive. At the top of this beachy motorway lies the giant sand dunes of Te Paki Stream. Rent a bodyboard and fly down the natural sand slides.
A notable chunk of the Far North is still home to breathtaking kauri forest. These gigantic trees are native to New Zealand and famed for their colossal size. In many parts of the country kauri trees are hindered by an incurable disease called Kauri Dieback. However, some of the beasts standing here have been doing so for over 3000 years. Wait until you see the girth of their trunks; with diameters reaching over four metres you’ll feel pathetically small in their shadow.
Off the coast of Mātauri Bay, the sunken ship, Rainbow Warrior is now an excellent dive site packed with marine life. The vessel was controversially blown up in 1985 by French government agents wanting to stop campaigners protesting against nuclear testing in the Pacific. A definite must-see.
Cape Rēinga
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Far North Delights
DOUBTLESS BAY - A curved 70km string of beaches, all empty and unspoilt, if you strive to live in your swimwear, friend you’ve found your place. Mangōnui is the first township in the bay heading north and was once a whaling port, but is now notable for dune riding tours, old-world buildings and the famed fish and chip restaurant sitting over the water. At Coopers Beach, there’s safe swimming and golden sand shaded by pōhutukawa trees. Check out the pinkish sand at Cable Bay and explore the rock pools and small lagoon. The wonderfully scenic Karikari Peninsula is nearby and features Coca Cola Lake (real name Lake Rotopokaka) nicknamed for its deep tannins that make the watersoda-coloured. Dark yes, but those waters get nice and hot on a summer’s day.
HOUHORA - The Far North is well known for its abundant fish species but the Houhora coastline is in a world of its own. Not only are the crystalline waters teeming with snapper and kingfish, they’re colossal in size. A fishing charter is a wonderful way to spend the day. Catch yourself a prize fish worthy of boasting about in the pub, or simply enjoy the tales spun by your skipper.
WHANGAROA HARBOUR - You will be instantly drawn to this harbour; its beauty is intoxicating. At just 200 metres wide, the narrow entrance opens to reveal a tumbling hillside and hidden bays with crescents of sand. Walk the track ascending to Dukes Nose for jaw dropping views, or sail away on a yacht: boat tours are popular and renting a houseboat is easy to organise.
Kaitāia
THE NORTHERNMOST TOWN IN NEW ZEALAND; EXPERTS ON ALL THINGS KAURI AND A GOOD STARTING POINT TO EXPLORE AUPOURI PENINSULA.
Kaitāia
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While in Kaitāia visit Te Ahu, a modern and inviting visitor’s centre where you can interactively learn about the history of the Far North, from local Māori tribes to the Dalmatian and Europeans. Then experience Gumdiggers Park, for its formidable 100,000-yearold buried kauri tree. It’s partly exposed so guests can have a good gawp.
Gumdiggers sought the kauri trees’ amber-coloured sap right up until the 1950s and this park, formerly the country’s largest gumfield, has been lovingly preserved. Afterward, visit the Ancient Kauri Kingdom. As the biggest retailer of kauri products in the world, climb a staircase carved inside the hollows of a kauri tree and buy various kauri items.
Te Ahu Centre, Kaitāia
David Kirkland
At the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach there is a small, rugged beach town with a big surprise. Ahipara boasts monstrous folds of sand that seem to tickle the sky and stretch as far as the eye can see. Simply park up, rent a boogie board, clamber up a dune and fly back down.
From sand to sea, Ahipara is also home to one of the best left-hand surf breaks in the country as well as amazing sunsets, a golf course parallel to Ninety Mile Beach, surfcasting, quad biking and horse trekking.
Shipwreck Bay is where you’re going to find those gnarly left-hand breaks, which will give you a good indication of how unruly the waves can get and how the bay got its name. You can also walk along the foreshore towards Ahipara Gumfields Historic Reserve for relics from the area’s prosperous gumdigging days.
Ninety Mile Beach
David Kirkland
In Ahipara & Happy About It
Take a boogie board, climb the giant golden sand dunes at Te Paki and go for it. Line up again and challenge the family to eat sand as you all career down mountains of it.
Te Paki sandboarding
David Kirkland
BEST OF THE REST
• NINETY MILE BEACH Is only 55 miles long, but we won’t hold that against it. Running from Ahipara to the very top of the North Island (almost), it’s fully driveable, with a 100kmph speed limit.
• CAPE RĒINGA There are spectacular views of the Tasman Sea merging into the Pacific Ocean from the lighthouse and various surrounding walking tracks. In Māori legend, nearby is where spirits of the deceased leave the land by sliding down the roots of a pōhutukawa tree and continuing their journey to the ancestral home of Hawaiki.
• SURVILLE CLIFFS Officially the most northernmost part of Aotearoa, these cliffs are just 4km further north from Cape Rēinga but not so easily accessible. You’ll need a 4WD and hardy legs for the stiff walk.
• SPIRITS BAY Accessed by gravel road, it’s worth the detour for the fantastic views.
