After an efficient and satisfactory departing statement from our German WWOOF hosts in Keri Keri, Hana and I ventured up about as far north as the land in New Zealand would permit to Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of the country. This is a remarkable place for many reasons. First of all, it is the top of one of the longest beaches in the world, Ninety Mile Beach, which has achieved this grand title by having people lie about its length. The name is a misnomer as the beach is in fact 88 km, but we all know how much flashier imperial measurements sound, and how annoying conversions are. Whatever the distance, the views of a continuous stretch of sand and crashing waves for as far as the eye can see is pretty spectacular.
Secondly, Cape Reinga is where one can watch two oceans collide. The Pacific Ocean to the East and the Tasman Sea to the west confront each other in a fierce battle for the title of unstoppable force, and it appears as though they’ll be contesting for a little while longer. I’ve actually got my money on the Tasman Sea. Though he may be a little guy, he can still pack quite a punch…. That will leave quite a swell! (he he. Turbo pun!) Anyway, it is an amazing spectacle to watch, and easy to recognize how such a place could play an important role in Maori mythology as the pathway for departing spirits.
Finally, the cape had the biggest, gnarliest, raddest sand dunes I’ve ever seen! You could run, jump, toboggan, castle, laugh, cry, lost, dehydrate etc. all over them! And there were cows on the road up to them! Could there be a more magical place? If you answered yes or no, you are correct as this is a rhetorical question… the answer was eight.
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