The weather is cool and cloudy first thing in the morning, but as we are discovering it is also very changeable and the ever present breeze soon clears the clouds and we have warm and sunny day. This is the last leg in our journey to Cape Reinga, the point in the far north where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. This is a spiritually significant place for the Maori who consider it the jumping off point for souls as they depart on their journey to their spiritual homeland. Along the way there are the most amazing vistas stretching into the endless distance; the green, brown and gold hillsides dotted with trees and bounded by forests. Along the way butterflies flit along the grass verge.
Our first stop is the viewpoint at Cooper’s Beach where, from a small wooden platform, it is possible to survey the immense sweep of Doubtless Bay. We break our journey to book into the holiday park at Whatuwhiwhi on the northern weep of Doubtless Bay. The site overlooks a small sandy beach with rocks at one end covered in rock oysters and harbouring rock pools teaming with life. Sea shells litter the shore inches deep crunching underfoot.
It takes about four hours to drive the 100 or so kilometres from Whatuwhiwhi up the Aupouri Peninsular to Cape Reinga on highway 1; all of it sealed except for the last 15 kilometres. We meet only the occasional car on the way, until we approach the last 10km when several coaches pass us coming in the opposite direction. Apparently, we discover later, the government discourages individuals driving to Cape Reinga and runs an advertising campaign to persuade visitors to join organised coach trips. Fortunately by the time we arrive in the early afternoon all the coach parties have left and we have the place almost to ourselves.
Walking out to the lighthouse promontory the vastness of the ocean stretches as far as the eye can see. To the west the blue Tasman Sea pounds the white sands of Te Werahi Beach; to the east the Pacific is grey and comparatively calm. The waves break at a ninety degree angle to the coast throwing up swathes of pure white surf – is this the point where two oceans collide? Immediately below waves crash over the tip of the Cape below and the white frothy foam merging with the azure blue waters and the brown sand churned by the waves. At the very tip is a spiritually significantly 800 year old pohutukawa tree; souls are believed to slide down its roots.
On the return journey we make a detour to Paua a strip of land jutting out into Parengarena Harbour. There is little here apart from a view of the world’s purest silica sand beach over the water and a gathering of birds which has attracted some English twitchers. We drive on to the perfectly white, silky soft sand beach at Great Exhibition Bay on the Pacific Ocean. This huge expanse of windswept beach is deserted except for two other people. Further south we drive through forest to reach Ninety Mile Beach. This enormous beach stretches almost the whole length of the Aupouri Penins and dissolves into mist in the distance. Four-wheeled drive vehicles can run this hard sand beach at low tide and there are a two cars on the beach when we arrive. It’s windy and the tide is a long way out. We walk to waters edge, where impressive waves are breaking way out from the shore.