Road Trip to the Far North of NZ.

Paihia was the first stop on our much delayed Far North Road Trip.

Before Paihia is Opua, an anchorage and marina. The car had no hesitation in making the detour. We found Ocean Pearl - a 54ft Amel Super Maramu anchored in the Bay with her owner Danny Simms waiting at the dock.  Danny has a lot to answer for in being my mentor and responsible for introducing my love of sailing. He was always ahead of me in dinghy racing days at the Taipa Yacht Club. 

Drinks on board allowed us to solve all the problems of the world and ended up with dinner together at the Opua Yacht Club. A great haunt for Raewyn and I when we are passing through the area.

A cultural day at Waitangi

We had not visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds before, and invested the $50? each entrance fee. This gave us access to the grounds, museum, war canoes and Treaty House. Also a guided tour. 

Our tour guide was James Busby. From Pukepoto, and a nephew of the famous navigator Hec Busby. So, it was special. I had an awareness of Hec from many years earlier when he was a bridge builder in the Far North and have followed his exploits with the traditional voyaging canoe Te Aurere  that he built and sailed with crew extensively around the Pacific. Hec uses and teaches celestial navigation by the stars. 

Opua Bay of Islands

Paihia Bay of Islands

Paihia Bay of Islands

Waitangi Treaty House

Traditional Canoe Waitangi

Traditional Meeting House Waitangi

Ahipara.     Our next stop was at Endless Summer Lodge on the Ahipara/Ninety Mile Beach Foreshore. The building used to be a retreat for Catholic Priests. The present owners have kept the old kauri 2 story property in immaculate condition. 

Although the facilities are shared, it was a pleasure to stay at this historic place. No ghosts to our knowledge, but beautifully kept and peaceful outdoors area with BBQ facilities underneath grape vines with table grapes just for the picking.

The beach is just across the road and bodysurfing was a pleasant reminder of the past.

Ninety Mile Beach

Pukenui       After 2 nights at Ahipara we continued North, stopping at the kauri factory at Awanui. Again it was a pleasure to revisit this place. A must stop when in the area.

Kauri Log Awanui

Pukenui Lodge Motel is situated right on Houhora Harbour. We stopped for lunch at Houhora on the way and left just as the second tour bus arrived. Pukenui Lodge is just a bit further North. The next day we drove direct to Tapotupoto Bay and walked along one of the most northerly beaches in NZ. Then on to Cape Reinga. Departing place of the spirits to their home in Hawaiiki. It is an interesting area at the very top of NZ with its beaches, sand dunes, island, meeting of the Tasman Sea/Pacific Ocean, and Lighthouse.

Back down the island, we detoured to Te Hapua - 20kms of dirt road to a small village on the Parengarenga harbour - East Coast. A harbour with extensive white sand dunes. One way in - one way out, like all of our deviations 

West Coast to Te Paki Stream, where tour buses stop to let passengers experience the large steep dunes, running or sliding down on toboggans. The buses then continue down the stream to Ninety Mile Beach and eventually Kaitaia.

.

Spirits Departure Point on their way to Hawaiki (ancestral home)

Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean

Cape Reinga Lighthouse

Cape Reinga

Ninety Mile Beach again. Another detour where we came across the sharks, turkeys and wild horses

Ninety Mile Beach

Wild Turkeys Aupori Forest

Wild Horses
Aupori Forest

From Pukenui it was South again to Kohukohu via Broadwood and Hokianga harbour - Pawarenga and Panguru

Pawarenga

House - Kohukohu

Broadwood - Timber miller

We stayed with Viv McGowan in her beautifully restored kauri villa at Kohukohu. It had been a mission of mine for some time to explore more fully this interesting area.

Viv's House -Kohukohu

Panguru

Ferry -Rawene

Mangungu Mission House

Across the ferry from Kohukohu to Whangarei. We have left some of this territory unexplored for future visits. Our last two days were spent with Lewis and his family just North of Whangarei