We started our final exploration of the North Island after a couple of days in Whangarei getting Meraviglia fully prepared for our departure to the US for 4 or 5 months. We left Meraviglia in good hands, being watched over by Whangarei Yacht Services. We left Whangarei on the 11/24 to head to Paihai in the Bay of Islands. We had a lovely stay at Waitangi Holiday Park and took a ferry from Paihai to Russell. In Russell we visited Christ Church, the oldest church in New Zealand! We also visited the museum, the shops, and had a great lunch at Hone’s Garden.
We left Paihai to head north and stopped at a few sites en route to our next campsite. We visited Haruru Falls, visited the Stone Store which is New Zealand’s oldest store, had a lovely chat with some visitors from Houston, and then stopped for lunch at Cooper’s Beach. After lunch, we continued on to 90 Mile Beach. We had to drive about seven miles on a very bumpy gravel lane to get to our actual campsite, but boy was it worth it! The campsite was just over the dunes from the most incredible beach. The beach was so wide and no one was there at all. Plus the whole area is full of wild horses – truly one of the most unique stops yet!
Cape Reinga was our next destination and is the northernmost point in New Zealand. What epic vistas along the way. When we first arrived, the cloud cover was intense so we could not even see the water but by the time we hiked out to the lighthouse, the clouds moved off and the views of the water were stunning. It is kind of crazy to think about but at Cape Reinga, we were actually closer to Antarctica than the US! After hiking back to the van, we set off for the Great Dunes of Te Paki. The Te Paki sand dunes are a series of giant dunes that are around 150 m high and are a spectacular sight. You can walk on the dunes or sandboard but the dunes are long and steep – sandboards go very fast! We saw one girl wipe out in spectacular fashion but fortunately did not seem to be seriously hurt. It is hard to believe how big they actually are until you start to climb up them! We left the dunes without injury and headed to our campsite for the evening.
We arrived at the Wairere campsite in the early afternoon. The Wairere Nature Park is a 353 acre farm and native bush setting for the many house-sized boulders that give Wairere Boulders its name. These very large basalt (volcanic) boulders are heavily fluted by the special conditions found at Wairere. This geology is globally significant, and according to experts, unique to this site. There are hiking trails spread throughout the farm including one to “Magic Rock” that offers a scenic overview of the area. What a hike it was, we felt like we were in the Lord of the Rings with the giant boulders and green rolling hills! They also have lots of sheep, chickens, and even Highland cattle! The hosts were so nice – this was definitely one of my favorite spots of the whole trip!
Our final destination with Hefty Hazel was Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park. This was a great place to stay our final two nights with the campervan. Our site was beachside with lovely views and access to the water. It was a typical beach town with some nice holiday homes, shopping, and restaurants. The highlight of staying there was to do the Mangawhai Heads Cliff Walk. The walk begins along the shoreline, you do a steep climb to the cliff tops, walk along the cliff tops, and then go down to the shoreline at the other end of the trail to a stunning beach. Then it is back up the steep steps to the cliff tops to return. It was many steps but well worth it for the incredible views, plus the flora and the fauna. A great way to end our hiking in the North Island.
We successfully returned Hefty Hazel to the rental agency in Auckland on December 2nd. We spent two days exploring Auckland before our flight back to the US on the 4th. While we do not necessarily want to explore New Zealand in Hefty Hazel again, we definitely want to continue to explore New Zealand, especially the South Island, when we return to Meraviglia. The people, the scenery, the food and wine, the outdoor adventures – we loved them all and are so glad we made it our 23rd country to visit! We look forward to sharing more New Zealand adventures when we return in the Spring!
