Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga Lighthouse

Drove from Ahipara up to Cape Reinga, sold as the most northerly point in New Zealand, though that isn't strictly accurate.  The drive had been branded as 'dull' in one of our guide books but it was varied, the road surface was good and there was hardly any traffic.  What more could one want?  We stopped at a couple of places to admire the view and take scenic pictures but none were so spectacular as the Cape itself.  A tidal rip marked the meeting of Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea.  The sun shone brilliantly on the blue water and local fauna with completely forgettable Maori names clung to the steep cliffs.  We walked down to the lighthouse - more photos - and then decided to go down to the huge, deserted sandy beach to the west - Te Werahi beach.  The car park was over 200 m above the beach so it took us over half an hour to get there but the views from the path down were spectacular - more photos.  The beach was still deserted.

Looking down at Te Werahi Beach

Had our picnic lunch on the beach, sheltering from the sun in a little cavelet. As the tide went out much more sand was exposed but weren't tempted to take an impromptu swim, just a walk along the sands. Then it was steep and hot climb back up to the lighthouse. Headed back home, with a few more photo stops and a visit to a supermarket  in Kaitia to stock  up for dinner and picnics.







Approaching home, disaster struck - the car horn started blaring and nothing we tried could stop it. Eventually, with the help of a neighbours and a wrench from our host, we disconnected the battery and peace reigned once more. There ensued several phone calls to the car hire company to convince them we weren't just being incompetent and then they cleared it for us to call the AA. A nice young man appeared promptly, diagnosed an electrical fault and removed a fuse to give us a temporary fix. Will now have to look into Auckland on our way south to get a replacement car.

Dinner on the veranda again, gazing over the beach.Too tired to write up the blog that night.