Visiting the northern most tip of the mainland remained on our to-do list from our last tour. It is one of those must do items so this time we made sure our itinerary allowed us to explore the Far North.
Our 'base camp' for the final assault was at the township of Ahipara with its tagline "Gateway to 90 mile beach". The beach is actually a public highway and you can drive its full length to a point just a few kilometres from the Cape itself (but not in a hired motorhome!). In fact it is a very popular tour with fleets of 4WD tour buses ferrying their cargo up and down the beach. They call in at the huge dunes at Te Paki where fun is to be had sand tobogganing before joining the tarmac highway for the last few kilometres to the Cape.
90 Mile Beach, Ahipara
The iconic lighthouse at Cape Reinga seemed all very familiar as its image features in every tour guide.
We knew the story that Maori spirits are said to leave from here on their final journey and also the wonderful criss-cross wave patterns where the Tasman Sea meets the South Pacific Ocean. And yes, we expected to find tour bus loads of selfie snappers too. But we weren't expecting the sheer beauty of the Cape and of the landscape over the last 10km.
So the reward for our 260km round trip from Ahipara was much more than just a tick in the box. It has left a lasting impression with no need for any Lands End style theme parks here.
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