At one of the most northernmost points on New Zealand lies Cape Reinga, a picturesque arm of land that sports a lighthouse and is said to be the place where Maori spirits are said to jump into the sea into the afterlife. To my knowledge no one but masochistic completists go to the real northernmost point (precise location unknown to me, but certainly tougher to get to), so Cape Reinga might as well be it.
Lighthouse at Cape Reinga
Andrew in front of Cape Marie Van Dieman
When visiting Cape Reinga, the only cool way to go is by driving on the Ninety-Mile Beach either to or from the point, tide permitting. Ninety-Mile Beach is actually a bit of a misnomer, as the actual length is ninety kilometers (less poetic) or about fifty-six miles. Becky wasn’t crazy about taking Ron on the beach, especially after reading our guide books which warn of the numerous travelers who’ve lost their cars to the soft sands and the ocean. All rental car agreements in the country expressly forbid taking the car on this beach, so there might be something to this. With that in mind, we decided to take a tour bus to Cape Reinga from Kaitaia, the nearest large town about 112 km away.
Feeling a bit of a travel rant starting, uh oh. The tour itself wasn’t bad; riding in an air-conditioned bus you’re already ahead of the game to start. Our tour guide, however, wasn’t exactly a terrific raconteur, and seemed to specialize in extended and mundane anecdotes. To wit: he probably didn’t need to pull over for 5 minutes to show us where companies had once excavated sea sand for glass production in the early 20th century, especially after he had previously yelled at our group for putting us off schedule by not being back to the bus quickly enough at a rest stop. He also went on about a 20 minute discourse on some fishing competition in the Northland, explaining in excruciating details just what a fisherman might use a rodholder for. That apparently isn’t something you can guess from the context, or, I don’t know, the word itself?
Also, lunch was an abomination. You may expect a small sandwich, chips, and drink on a tour lunch, but our tour company obviously thought we might like something a little more carb-intensive. How about a roll, a muffin, a granola bar, cheese and crackers, shortbread cookies, and a fruit-filled breakfast bar? If you thought that’s not really lunch, you and I would be on the same wavelength.
It was also bad when we got to the sand dunes area, which promised a fun tobogganing run. A group on another company’s tour bus was using boogie boards down the hill, which went dangerously fast and looked like a great time. Lamely, our tour got little plastic sleds that went about quarter as fast and looked one-tenth as bad-ass. Aside from that, the bus got to and from the Cape in air-conditioned comfort, so that was good. Life lesson: perhaps we should question why a particular tour is the cheapest next time.
Climbing the sand dune for tobogganing
Somewhat disappointingly, we didn’t see any rusting car hulks buried partly in the sand on Ninety-Mile Beach, as the guide books had intimated we might see. Seeing the remains of some unfortunate traveler’s car would’ve made me feel even better about not taking our own car after other people had said similar cars to ours had no problem in traversing the beach. Plus that would’ve made for a fun picture, but no dice. After crossing a rather long streambed at one end of the beach drive, Becky was happy we didn’t take Ron, but I dunno. Better safe than sorry I suppose.
The "Hole in the Rock" of 90-Mile Beach
Cape Reinga was definitely worth getting to see though, and I have no reservations about recommending a trip there. Lighthouses have got to be some of the most poetic structures around, and when they’re situated in such a scenic location on the very edge of a country, so much the better. If you find yourself in the Northland with some fine weather, visiting the lighthouse is a good way to spend a day.
Even the signpost has a sponsor! (Not unlike the DHL lifeguards at Karekare...)
1 comment:
Dear Aunt Beck,
Did you or Andrew write about the lighthouses because Ithought that Andrew hates lighthouses. And why does that street sign have soooo mant streets on it?
Well don't sink.
K Quicksand
Post a Comment