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Cape Reinga (A1)Tane Mahuta (B4)

Bay of Islands/Paihia (C4)Hot Water Beach (E7)Cathedral Cove (E8)

Rotorua (F11-21)Huka Falls (G2)

Tongariro Crossing (G13)Waitomo Caves (H8)Te Papa Museum (J10)

Te Paki Dunes (A3-4)Trounson Kauri/Kiwi (B5)Tutukaka Coast (C8-10)

Muriwai Beach (D1)Karangahake Gorge (E1)

Mt Maunganui (F1)Kerosene Creek (F15)

Mud Pool (F19)Aratiatia Rapids (G1)

Craters of the Moon (G3)Spa Park Hot Spring (G6)Whakapapa Village (G15)

Raglan (H1)Dawson Falls (H18)

Tolaga Bay (I 6)Lake Waikaremoana (I 12)

Castlepoint (J3)

Puheke Hill (A8)Mahinepua Peninsula (A14)

Hokianga’s Hidden Sands (B2)Yakas Kauri (B4)Aroha Island (C1)

Mermaid Pool (C9)Abbey Caves (C11)Waipu Cave (C18)

Homunga Beach (E4)Coromandel Walkway (E14)

Hamurana Springs (F7)Te Porere History (G11)

Ruapehu’s Wowland (G16)Tongaporutu (H11)

Paritutu Rock (H14)Tuahine Lighthouse (I7)

Shine Falls (I 15)Cape Palliser (J6)

Baring Head Lighthouse (J9)

TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:

Well-known Second-tier Must-see Attractions:

Favorite Obscurities:

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NZ Frenzy North Island New ZealandISBN: 978-09799232-34First Edition 2009Copyright © 2009 by Scott CookSecond edition © 2013 by Scott CookThird edition © 2016 by Scott Cook

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without previous permission from the author.

All text and photography done by the author, except where noted. Book design and layout done by Jody Conners and Gary Asher at Maverick Publications, Bend, Oregon, USA.

Email Scott: NzFrenzy@yahoo.com

Front Cover Photo: Whale Bay (C8)

Warning: Walking and tramping in New Zealand can be dangerous. All the information in this book has been personally checked by the author to be accurate. However, track conditions can change. The author can accept no responsibility for any inconvenience or injury due to the use of this guide.

Help me, help you, help them:

please review my book on Amazon.com

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CONTENTS

Cont’d

E11 Castle Rock E12 Thames/Coromandel/Port Jackson Dr E13 Port Jackson Camp & Murawai Hilltop Walk E14 Fletcher Bay Camp & Coromandel Walkway E15 Waikawau Beach F BAY OF PLENTY / ROTORUA REGION F1 Mt. Maunganui F2 Kaiate Falls F3 Tuahu Kauri F4 Waiorongomai Valley F5 Wairere Falls F6 Otanewainuku Scenic Reserve F7 Hamurana Springs Loop F8 Okere Falls/Kaituna Rapids F9 Waitangi Soda Hot Springs F10 Lake Tarawera East Shore F11 Rotorua for Free F12 Whaka-rewa-rewa Viewpoint Trk F13 Waimangu Thermal Valley F14 Rainbow Mountain F15 Kerosene Creek F16 Kaingaroa Maori Carvings F17 Waikite Valley Thermal Pools F18 Waterfall Spout Bath F19 Mud Pool F20 Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Pk F21 Hot-Cold Hot Spring F22 Butcher’s Pool G TAUPO / TONGARIRO REGION G1 Aratiatia Rapids G2 Huka Falls G3 Craters of the Moon G4 Orakei Korako G5 Kinloch-Kawakawa Bay Track G6 Spa Park Natural Hot Spring G7 Whakamoenga Point G8 Mt. Tauhara G9 Lake Rotopounamu G10 Tokaanu Thermal Pools & Park G11 Te Porere Redoubt/Opotaka G12 Okupata Cave G13 Tongariro Crossing G14 Mt. Ngauruhoe G15 Whakapapa Village G16 Ruapehu’s Wowland G17 Ohakune/Turoa Ski Fields G18 Tree Trunk Gorge/Waikato Falls H RAGLAN/WAITOMO/TARANAKI REGION H1 Raglan/Bridal Veil Falls H2 Mt. Karioi Tramp H3 Raglan - Bridal Veil Loop H4 Raglan to Awakino Camping Rt H5 Kawhia/Aotea Beaches H6 Taharoa Beach H7 Ruakuri Tunnels H8 West from Waitamo - Te Anga H9 Waikawau Tunnel Beach H10 Awakino Heads/ Mokau H11 Tongaporutu H12 Whitecliffs Walkway Loop H13 Omaru Falls H14 Paritutu Rock & Back Bay H15 Wreck of the Gairloch H16 Taranaki Surf Hwy H17 Egmont Railway Lp H18 Egmont National Park H19 Patea Shipwreck & Lookout H20 Waverley Beach

A FAR NORTH REGION A1 Cape Reinga A2 Te Werahi Track A3 Te Paki Stream A4 Te Paki Dune Lakes Adventure A5 Scott Point-Twilight Beach Track A6 3 Far North DoC Camping Beaches A7 90-Mile Beach A8 Puheke Hill A9 Maitai Bay A10 Fig Tree Loop Track A11 Ahipara/Shipwreck Bay A12 Omahuta Kauri Stump A13 St. Paul’s Rock A14 Mahinepua Peninsula Track B NORTHLAND - WEST REGION B1 Hokianga Harbour B2 Hokianga’s Hidden Sands B3 Waiotemarama Bush Walk B4 Waipoua Forest Kauris B5 Trounson Kiwi & Kauri Reserve B6 Kai-Iwi Lakes B7 Maunganui Bluff Track B8 Baylys Beach B9 Tokatoka Peak B10 The Kauri Museum C NORTHLAND - EAST REGION C1 Aroha Island Kiwi Preserve C2 Rainbow Falls C3 Ngawha Hot Springs C4 Paihia C5 Russell C6 Elliot Bay C7 Whangaruru North Head C8 Tutukaka Coast C9 Mermaid Pool of Matapouri C10 Tane Moana C11 Abbey Caves C12 Whangarei Falls/Kauri Walkway C13 Mt. Manaia Track C14 Mt. Aubrey/Reotahi Shoreline Lp C15 Kauri Mountain Track & Beach C16 Smugglers Cove-Busby Head Lp Trk C17 Bream Headland Loop Track C18 Waipu Cave C19 Piroa Falls C20 Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway C21 Te Arai Point D WAITAKERE COAST REGION D1 Muriwai Beach D2 Goldie Bush/Mokoroa Falls D3 Bethell’s Beach D4 Piha Beach D5 Karekare Beach D6 Whatipu Beach E COROMANDEL REGION E1 Karangahake Gorge E2 Waitawheta Tramway E3 Waihi Beach/Orokawa Beach Track E4 Homunga Beach E5 Pinnacles Loop Track E6 Broken Hills E7 Hot Water Beach E8 Cathedral Cove E9 Whitianga/Lonely Bay/Cooks Beach E10 Coromandel Road 309

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I 15 Shine Falls I 16 Te Mata Peak I 17 Havelock Waterfall Tour

J SOUTH / WELLINGTON REGION J1 Taumata Longest Place Name J2 Waihi Falls J3 Tui Brewery J4 Castlepoint J5 Putangirua Pinnacles J6 Cape Palliser J7 Otaki Forks J8 Rimutaka Forest Park J9 Baring Head Lighthouse Loop J10 Wellington Harbours Drive

I EAST CAPE / HAWKES BAY REGION I 1 Kohi Point Loop Trk I 2 Maraehako Bay I 3 Hicks Bay Wharf and Waterfall I 4 East Cape Road I 5 Tokomaru Ghost Town I 6 Tolaga Bay I 7 Derelict Tuahine Point Lighthouse I 8 Rere Falls I 9 Rere Rockslide I 10 Mahia Peninsula I 11 Te Reinga Falls I 12 Urewera National Park I 13 Whirinaki Loop Track I 14 Tarawera Hot Springs

Base map courtesy of Geographx

A Far North B Northland – West C Northland – East D Waitakere Coast E Coromandel F Bay of Plenty/Rotorua G Taupo/Tongariro H Raglan/Waitomo/Taranaki I East Cape/Hawkes Bay J South/Wellington

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Using this guidebook is different. I care FAR MORE about your travel experience in NZ than the usual mainstream guidebook author. The fol-lowing are some explanations of some of the odd things I try in order to “go the extra mile” for you. The way I see it, if an outdoors guidebook hasn’t substantially changed in the past ten years, then that guidebook author isn’t being creative enough using the newer internet tools now available to all of us. Google and the internet have changed travel planning in huge and beneficial ways. Here are some of the things I’ve tried to implement to help you both plan and then execute a far better first-time NZ trip than was ever possible in the pre-internet age.

Website/blog paralleling the printed book: For each of my NZ Frenzys I’ve crafted a Wordpress blog which attempts to parallel the written-book entries. For this book the site is called “NZFRENZYNORTH”, with an exact internet address of http://nzfrenzynorth.wordpress.com/. You should simply be able to Google NZFRENZYNORTH and go directly to this site.

I have an intro/instructions of sorts on the main page, but the bread ‘n’ butter of this site are the entries listed top-to-bottom along the right-hand margin, organized just as the entries in the book are organized. The chief purpose of this website is to offer the photos that are in the written book in full color and full size, but also so I can add other photos of the particular place that won’t all fit in the written book. I’m hoping that all these photos that I’ve taken over my years of exploring NZ will somehow help you make better planning choices about the places to put on your personal NZ tour-ing must-see list. I also reckon that my organized-by-place photos will be simply the best single source of organized NZ outdoors photos available ANYWHERE, either on the internet or elsewhere. I like to think that these photos with their extra little descriptions/informations will substantially help you in your at-home planning process. But…I also know that all this information might overwhelm your planning process….like too much of a good thing maybe. I know that’ll you’ll want to go everywhere and do everything in NZ…but hahahaha, you simply just can’t in your vacation time allowance. Hahaha, tough crap….planning a trip to NZ just isn’t easy because there is FAR FAR FAR too much to see and do…far far far too many natural wonders to behold. You’re just gonna have to plan to come back. That’s not a bad thing. Lucky you.

OK, so also on the blog are some screen-grab GoogleEarth maps that I create for most every entry. These maps are an attempt to orient you to the spot, highlight the route if needed, and highlight the area’s other points of interest if apropos. I think this is a great use of the Web, because if a guidebook uses maps on its pages, those maps have to be both big and detailed to be useful…but the result is that then you can’t fit as many photos of the spot into the written guidebook…and then you might not even know you want to visit the spot because a map will never shout out like a photo “come see me!”. The way I see it, my book should alert and excite you to see a spot, and my blog might then fill in some extra details and more

USING THIS GUIDE....READ THIS

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robust info (but the book has to have enough to stand on its own also, in case you have no Web or just choose to be Luddite-ish about things).

Finally, the blog entry for each book entry has the GPS Google Coordinates at the top of the page. These coordinates are also on every entry in the written book, but having them on the blog lets you cut ‘n’ paste them into either the GoogleEarth or GoogleMaps searchbox with ease. Thus, as you look thru the written book to plan your NZ trip, I hope you’ll have your computer open to the blog while also having Google-Earth open to cut ‘n’ paste the entry GPS address into the top left search box so that you can virtually “fly there” to see the spot on GoogleEarth. I LOVE this. Why don’t other guidebooks do this?? Oh, just cuz they’re not trying as hard as I am. Consider the gauntlet now thrown down. This is my personal “game of throwns”. Does it work for you? Please lemme know….NZFrenzy@yahoo.com.

GoogleEarth Coords for every entry: Every entry in the book, in the header box, has a set of corresponding GoogleEarth coordinates. These are coordinates I’ve lifted-off of GoogleEarth, in a GPS format that is easier to copy/write than the typical GPS address that has all those hash-marks and degree symbols. Just type the numerals into the GoogEarth/Maps search box and voilá, you’re “virtually” there…easy-peasy. I’ve chosen to make the coordinates point to the carpark for the location, where the hike/outing begins, rather than the exact spot of, say, the waterfall/cave/trail. I’ve placed photos onto GoogEarth’s Panoramio overlay which should help you find the exact location of the waterfall/cave/trail, etc…but first you’ll need to know where to drive to in order to start the outing.

And, as I said in the above website dialog, the GoogleEarth coords are on every entry on the website for easy cut ‘n’ pasting.

GoogleEarth pix uploads: If you use GoogleEarth to help plan your NZ travels, as you should, you’ll also find that I’ve uploaded literally thousands of photos onto the Panoramio photo collection that overlays the GoogleEarth maps of an area. For those not “in the know”, these photos show up as little blue dots all over the GoogEarth maps.

If they’re not showing up on your personal GoogEarth, then you need to check the “photos” check-box on the bottom left side of the GoogEarth options panel.

I find that these Panoramio photos, all uploaded by kind-hearted, do-gooding, altruistic users like myself, are a godsend for helpful travel planning. Not only do they show you photos supposedly taken from where the dot lays on the map, they also show a range of photos, often of amateur quality and often in crappy weather/light conditions. I often find this much more useful than all the perfect-as-can-be photos from the tourism-promotion sites. Real world views, real world perspectives on a location. Wow.

GoogleCoords

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Long time GoogleEarth users will know that many of these Panoramio photos are placed in the wrong locations by sloppy photo-placers. Not much can be done about this. But, I take the time and make the extra effort that EVERY one of my personally uploaded photos are in the exact-estlocations as they can be. This has taken me hundreds of hours. Which other guidebook author does this?? Oh yeah, the really committed and clever ones…i.e….not many. Why not?

Obscure-O-Meter: The li’l Obscure-o-Meter gauge I invented for the first edition of the South Island book proved to be one of the most popular and most commented-upon facets of the book. Nice. It did what I hoped it would….offering an at-a-glance experienced

insight as to a spot’s relative popularity from a tourism perspective, without having to use valuable space in the text to get the point across.

In a nutshell, the Obscure-o-Meter gives you my personal opinion as to how much typical tourism to expect at a particular location. Pinned to the left means to only expect yourself and a few locals at the spot (a local secret), whereas pinned to the right means you should expect full tour-bus-type tourism hoopla. These ratings really only apply during the tourism-heavy NZ summer months.

Also, if an outing is skewed towards the obscure, then you should know that you probably won’t find much outside help on your visit there other than my written description—you won’t find info in the mainstream guidebooks nor at the NZ i-Sites…nor should you expect too much touring publicity like street signs, track markers, or carpark mapboards. When I point the marker full-left, you need to expect to be on your own and rely on your own resourcefulness. Prepare ahead of time when venturing towards my obscure entries, as there will be little or no help from normal NZ tourism sources. This is what my blog is also for—extra insight and help.

I created the Obscure-o-Meter for one simple reason: it’s exactly the info that I personally crave to be told the first time I visit a travel location. I don’t mind much if a particular “must-see” destination is crowded, as long as I have the proper expectation to expect a crowd. What I hate is when the guidebook/tourism info makes it seem like a place is sort of a secret, and then you get there to see a mob of other tourists. Yikes, bummer, Lonely Planet overload. What I also need to know is when not to expect help from trail signs/maps or in the NZ case the little orange DoC track markers that most-often lead you around the tracks. When you expect junction signs and such and they’re not there…then that’s frustrating…but knowing ahead of time when someplace is little-visited and non-touristy tips me off that I need to check with GoogEarth and other resources before heading out on that type of adventure.

Some folks email me with the worry that I might “ruin” the very obscure places that I love by aiming my camera and words at them. Well, it could happen…someday…but I really don’t sell many books in the bigger scheme of NZ Tourism. The bummer might be when the Lonely Planet authors begin to copy stuff out of my books. Hmmm. But I am sensitive to the notion that some things need to be left a bit secret…and thus the riddle for entry F18. And, believe me, I have plenty of personal NZ secrets that I’m NOT telling you about (evil laugh!)

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Pronunciation help: I’m just trying to help a little. I’m no scholar, nor much a cunning Maori linguist. I’m just trying to give you an early “head’s up” so that you don’t arrive in NZ and say “May-orey” your first day and “wacka-tayne” (Whakatane: entry I1) your second day. If you can pronounce the Maori place names better, you won’t feel like such a tourist fool…and you can absorb advice better when Kiwi locals offer it by knowing how some of these tongue-twisting place names are supposed to sound. Hope it helps at least a li’l bit.

Walking time/distance…and walk/tramp: When you get to NZ and head out for some walks and hikes you’ll find that Dept. of Conservation signage differs at many trailheads. Sometimes you are told how long a walk will take one-way, sometimes how long it will take both out and back (called “return”)…and sometimes newer signs just tell you the distance in kms. To add to the confusion, the time-estimates on the signs are often quite slow. When a sign says “one hour”, the trail typically takes me 40 minutes. Of course this varies for different folks.

Anyhow, so I’ve tried to tell you both distance and estimated time, either as a one-way estimate, or for an entire loop. I’ve tried to make the NZ Frenzy time estimates span the time for a fast hiker (myself) to a guess for a slower (less frenzied) pace. When I say “60-80 minutes one-way”, I mean it took me about 60 minutes, but I’m guessing an “average hiker” (one who has companions to talk/comment with and is not always in a huge hurry to update a massive amount of guidebook info) might take 80 minutes. The NZ track signage probably will only post the 80-minute guesstimate.

As for the walk/tramp difference in my description…these are two VERY big distinctions in terms of an NZ track. A walk means that the track is well-formed and maintained whereas a tramp means to expect rough-going conditions often with overly-steep spots that may require hands ‘n’ feet scrambling, if not pure grappling. Walks have bridged streams whereas tramps have rock-hop splash-acrosses. See entries H2, H14, and E11 for some Kiwi-tramping perspective.

Finally…this guidebook isn’t perfect, but it is the best I’m able to conjure up. It is the best of my abilities. However, it is also a bit of an experiment. I have no idea if this book ‘n’ blog concept will actually work well to help you plan and execute your NZ trip. Maybe I’ve gone too far and just over-complicated things by barraging you with too much info. Maybe I’ve made it too difficult to decide on anything? Well, regardless, I’ve tried my hardest to help you have a fabulous NZ experience. NZ constantly “wows” me and I sincerely hope my book helps you find some major Wows of your own!

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“A land of stupendous mountains,

roaring cataracts, silvery cascades,

fantastic volcanic formations,

magnificent landscapes, noble forests

and picturesque islands.”

– Thomas Bracken, 1879From The New Zealand Tourist

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AFar North

A1 Cape Reinga A2 Te Werahi Track A3 Te Paki Stream A4 Te Paki Dune Lakes Adventure A5 Scott Point-Twilight Beach Track A6 3 Far North DoC Camping Beaches A7 90-Mile Beach

A8 Puheke Hill A9 Maitai BayA10 Fig Tree Loop Track A11 Ahipara/Shipwreck Bay A12 Omahuta Kauri StumpA13 St.Paul’sRock A14 Mahinepua Peninsula Track

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FAR NORTH REGION

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The Far North has a mystical appeal for travelers, probably mostly just due to its “northernmost bit” location with the famed lighthouse at the Maori-fabled Cape Reinga. No doubt, the Far North does deliver on its promised oohs and ahhhs. Cape Reinga is magnificent with its criss-crossing wave turbulence where the seas actually do collide. The Te Paki Dunes are superlatively large and jaw-drop beautiful and explorably FUN! 90-Mile Beach is the longest in NZ, even if you can’t/won’t drive it and only see its miles via a tour bus. Camping at Spirits Bay will stoke your spirit. The endless lefts at Ahipara’s “Shippies” surf beach are Endless Summer -worthy. The Far North definitely delivers above its low-key hype.

Personally speaking, there are no better beaches anywhere in NZ for long stretches of gorgeous solitude than up here at the tip. Think Ahipara’s dunes, the trio of beaches on the Te Werahi loop, Spirits Bay, Rarawa’s hidden north expanse, Puheke’s whitesand glory, Maitai’s twin smiles. Simply divine stretches of gorgeous beach serenity. Toss in some views at Fig Tree, Mahinepua and St Paul’s Rock and you’ll have a coastal-beauty overload. Oh my god, I need to stop typing and get myself up to the Far North!! In mid-summer, when ALL the Far North water is swimmably warm, there’s no place I’d rather spend a week on the North Island.

Kaitaia is the major town of the Far North, but it has little to inter-est visitors other than its large Pak ‘n’ Save grocery store. Other than Kaitaia there are only tiny little villages with tiny little markets in all the Far North area.

Don’t miss: Cape Reinga (A1) Te Paki Dunes (A3-A4) Maitai Bay (A9) Fig Tree Loop (A10) Mahinepua Peninsula Walk (A14)

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Scenic lighthouse and beach access

CAPE REINGA

DRIVING: The lighthouse carpark is 21km (now paved) from Waitiki Landing. There are no services/stores or anything else on the road past Waitiki Landing.

Walk: Easy 1km (10 minute) stroll to lighthouse, moderate tracks

A1(Say: Ree-enga)

As touristy as this classic lighthouse can be (150,000+ people per year), the fact remains that this lookout is truly both beautiful and unique. Cape Reinga is the most scenic lighthouse in NZ because there’s a lot more to look at other than just a horizon line. The seas, Tasman and Pacific, do actually

meet here (as most tourism promo states) and it’s neat to watch the waves explode into each other creating angling lines of spray. Also notice the peculiar checkerboard pattern where the waves criss-cross on the beach below.

The famous Pohutukawa tree of Maori legend, visible on the east side of the rocky cape extending north from the lighthouse, is reputed to be 600-800 years old and represents the legendary departure point for Maori spirits on their way to their afterlife in Hawaiiki. Your spirit may also depart if you’re enjoying some rare solitude at Cape Reinga when a gaggle of tour buses arrive and belch a wave of snap/yap-happy tourists. In summer it’s hard to escape the tour-bus arrivals (the buses are those that race up 90-Mile Beach at low-tide, often from as far away as Paihia). Your best bet for minimal crowds is early morning or late afternoon.

For a bit of a walk you can head down from the carpark towards either Te Werahi Beach or Sandy Beach—each route is about 20-30

minutes down…but be prepared for the 180m climb back up. Te Werahi Beach is the best for a long, scenic, and often people-free beach walk. Sandy Beach is a delightful small cove.

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Sunset (no crowds) The legendaryPohutukawa

Cape Reinga

Cape Van DiemenLighthouse

Looking southfrom Cape Reinga

Google Coords

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STUNnING BEACHES, DUNES, AND CAPE

TE WERAHI TRACK

Walk: Moderate 3-5 hour (14-18km) loop

A2(Say: Tee wear-a-he)

OBSCUR-O-METER

DRIVING: The signed pull-off carpark is 16km north of Waitiki Landing or 4km before Cape Reinga.

Te Werahi is the Far North’s premier loop track! This marvelous loop encompasses both Twilight and Te Werahi beaches, an optional trek out to Cape Maria Van Diemen’s lighthouse, a golden-dune crossing, some red/yellow volcanic badlands, and a refreshing dip in the Te Werahi stream. The marked route over

the dunes towards Twilight beach is the NZ’s only marked route through a dune field. Quintessential Northland!

The Te Werahi loop is a long route, often under the hot sun—thus it’s not for the feeble. It is a personal favorite though because 90% of the time it is pure solitude—just you and endless Far North beaches and vistas! At a brisk pace the main loop takes 2.5 hours, plus an extra 1.5 hours if you add an out/back to Cape Van Diemen. Going clockwise is best because this way you’ll cross the dunes while you’re energetic and then get a refreshing rinse in the Te Werahi beach stream before the plod back overland up to the carpark.

There’s a map at the carpark—take a photo of it. Head left to the treeline (note the trees so you can look back from the far dunes to spy your car.) Cruise along the marked fenceline down to the stile leading to a bog boardwalk. From the boardwalk you’ll pick up a line of orange poles. Across the dunes it’ll take an hour to Twilight Beach, then 30 minutes more to the Cape Van Diemen fork (a 90-minute side-trip to the Cape mini-lighthouse is totally worth it. A grassy/overgrown/faint path climbs steeply to the mini lighthouse.) For the main loop, at the Van Diemen junction head north for 20 minutes over the red badlands to Te Werahi Beach. After a rinse in the stream pick up the orange DoC post markers (near/NE of the stream) for an hour of up/down hiking back to the carpark.

Walk

Looking north over Te Werahi Beach

Cape Reinga Lighthouse

Cape ReingaTe Werahi Beach

Cape Maria Van Diemen Lighthouse

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• NOTE: driving rental vehicles in Te Paki or on 90-Mile Beach is often prohibited by rental companies.

driveable/walkable streambed thrutowering dunes

TE PAKI STREAM

Walk: Easy 3.5km between carpark and sea

A3 (Say: Tee-pah-key)

M a n , I l o v e these golden dunes. I love the way the stream cuts through them. I love driving my van up and down the streambed…splashing, weaving, and laughing. I love watching a sunset from the dune-top. I love swerving out onto 90-Mile Beach. I love the beautiful

craziness of the whole thing. Where else do you get to drive a 2WD car through a stream zig-zagging a path between massive sand-dunes? Nowhere!

A certain Te Paki Stream “quicksand” myth is totally overblown by the tour-bus operators who shuttle daily busloads of tourist sheep up here from Bay of Islands tourist land. Don’t believe the myths. In summertime this stream is mere inches deep, totally hard-packed wetsands. Of course don’t drive the stream when a raging storm is dumping rain—duh. Keep your car moving when in the streambed and you’l l have no problems. There are plenty of wetsand side- terraces to pull out of the flowing streambed to park or turn around. Of course don’t park in any moving water—duh. If you do stop and park…to climb the gorgeous dunes, ride a boogie board, get another beer, whatever…analyze the sand you step out on...is it squishy, are the tires

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Parked in the Te Paki Dunes and stream

Driving in the stream

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sinking any? Some w a t e r - s a t u r a t e d sand CAN act like quicksand, so check to make sure water isn’t beginning to pool around your tires after you’ve stopped.

For a first-time visitor, the best idea is to walk a bit of the streambed before driving into it—make sure it is hard-packed

with tire-tracks. Wait to watch other cars if you’re apprehensive. Talk to the sandboard-hire people at the carpark and ask “how’s driving the stream?” Overall, driving through Te Paki Stream is scary the first time, but in reality any Volkswagen Beetle can rumble through it.

Every day a heap of tour buses splash through the Te Paki Stream heading to or fro from Cape Reinga. I’ve seen all kind of regular passenger cars in Te Paki and all along 90-Mile Beach. Most tourists are far too “cautious” to risk doing anything a bit risky. Driving Te Paki Stream and 90-Mile Beach is risky…it does take a certain adventuresome savvy. Driving Te Paki Stream is real NZ adventure. Are you up for a try?? This is the type of NZ adventure you’ll tell stories about when you get back home, Nobody tells a story about how they took a bus ride. Go for it…you’ll be right!

DRIVING: Te Paki’s access is 4km north of Waitiki Landing, then 4km west to the dunes’ carpark. The stream portion itself is 3.5km to the beach. Once on 90-Mile Beach it’s about an hour south to the Waipapakauri off ramp.

Tourist sandboarding on the dunes

90-Mile Beach

Te Paki Stream

Looking west from dunes

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IN HIDDEN LAKE

TE PAKI DUNE LAKES ADVENTURE

Tramp: Moderate sand-scrambling loop...about 1.5-2.5 hours round-trip

A4

The Te Paki Dunes are one of Northland’s finest exclamation points, yet few people ever take a look much pas t the sand-tobogganing slope at the eastern road-access point. The drive through the Te Paki Stream is a truly unique wild ride (A3), but few travelers, either out

of timidity (or maybe good sense), choose to venture beyond the east-side carpark.

Hiring a boogie-board for a ride down the dune-face at least gets people out onto the dunes for a decent look around. But if you want a much more unique experience on these wonder-filled dunes, then this unmarked adventure loop is the ticket. Unknown to 99.5% of visitors is the fact that the massive field of dunes impounds two freshwater lakes. The first lake you might see off to the right on the Te Paki access road to the carpark, but it really doesn’t look that interesting from the car window. Much more interesting is a second lake hidden a 35-40 minute dune-crest scramble from the carpark. If you head straight north from the carpark, angling NE away from the swarm of boogie-boarders you’ll ascend into untracked valleys of dune magnificence and clamber up steep sand slopes etched with only the footprints of the wind. The Sci-fi novel/movie Dune may stir your mind, or maybe a wind-swept Lawrence of Arabia fantasy.

The purpose of this outing is to actually give you a goal to motivate all this dune-top huff ‘n’ puffing—cuz it’s not easy to plod up steep sand slopes. Most people forgo it because slogging around the “tops” is tiring without any goal in mind. Thus, the search for the hidden lake becomes the perfect goal…and along the way, no doubt, the untracked wildness of the non-touristy side of the dunes will catch you up with its alien beauty. Once you find the lake and have a freshwater rinse/swim, you then can return by a route that’ll take you over to the steep boogie-board hill for a fast run-down. I’m sure you’ll smile to yourself that you experienced the dunes’ secret that all these boogie-boarders miss out on!

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Te Paki Carpark

To Lake

-34.524931 172.773983 Google Coords

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DRIVING: Access the Te Paki Dunes carpark just like in entry A3.

Head north out of the carpark up the steep short slope above the stream trickle. You’ll soon see the first (lower) lake off to your right, but keep high towards the massive dune-humps ahead. You’ll see the streambed that flows out of the hidden lake (it is possible to descend and follow it upstream to the lake, but this option is far less fun and does require bush-bashing to get to the lake). Instead, stay as high as you can, climbing the steep faces to the highest dune-top you can see. Yes, it is steep slow heavy breathing…but when you crest the top I know you’ll exclaim “wow!” I won’t ruin the surprises. The dune lake is to your right but before descending to it visualize the return portion of the loop up to the photogenic sandstone outcrops, then over your left shoulder towards the boogie-board hill. The entire loop exploration route should become clear from this lake-viewing dune-top.

Tramp

The hidden dune lake

Swim!

Dune-top view to ocean

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• Elevation Scott Point saddle: 115m

rEMOTE TRACK, STUNNING SETTING!

SCOTT POINT-TWILIGHT BEACH TRACK

Walk: Moderate 50-60 minutes one-way (5km)

A5

The DoC-marked track heading north from the end of 90-Mile Beach over Scott Point to Twilight Beach is part of the longer multi-day Cape Reinga Walkway, but you can walk this shorter and amazingly gorgeous slice of it if you’re a bit adventurous. First I’ll describe the walk…then the adventure.

On the walk, seeing the elevated views south over 90-Mile Beach and the Te Paki Dunes is breathtaking. Then, seeing north to Cape Van Diemen and Twilight Beach will surely knock your socks off and eat up any megapixels your memory card still holds! Total Far North eye-candy! Arriving at Twilight Beach, chances are that it’ll be “all yours”, since the only other access is via the seldom-used Te Werahi track. Ahhh, a mile-long beach heaven. You’ll return the way you came.

Here’s the adventure part. You NEED GUMPTION, PLANNING and TIMING to walk this track!!! On a falling tide you have to drive through Te Paki Stream and then 4km north up to the end of 90-Mile Beach to access the Scott Pt trailhead. At endpoint of 90-Mile Beach, where a staircase begins the track, exists a bit of a rough carpark where you can pull your car up off the wet hard-packed sand onto a flat grassy above-high-tide safe spot (you can clearly see this on GoogleEarth, as well a bunch of my pix).

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• Elevation trailhead: 0

90-Mile BeachTe Paki Dunes

View from Scott Point

-34.525789 172.724861 Google Coords

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DRIVING: Use Google Earth and figure it out, you frenzied intrepid NZ adventurer! If you won’t go to that trouble, you don’t belong on this track.

OK then, thus you have about a 6-hour window around low-tide to drive the Te Paki Stream and up the beach, walk the track, return on the track…and then drive back down the beach to Te Paki Stream before the rising tide pinches you off. This is way too much planning necessary for most folks who hurry-hurry everywhere like NZ tourism lemmings…but if you want to see a knock-out spot and have a mile-long beach all to yourself…then get a tide chart for 90-Mile in the local paper, make the plan, and have a go! (I’ve overnight camped many-a-time at the trailhead and you might want to collect some firewood along the Te Paki access road).

Park-up at end of 90-Mile

Looking towards Twilight Beach

Cape Van Diemen

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• All DoC camping: approx. $8pp, water, cold showers and toilets at each camp. BRING MOSQUITO SPRAY!

PERSPECTIVE ON CAMPING NEAR CAPE REINGA

THREE FAR NORTH DoCCAMPING BEACHESA6

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North coves at Rarawa

Great Exhibition Bay

Google Coords Rarawa Beach: -34.72569 173.082578

Rarawa is mid-way up the 90-Mile Beach peninsula and easy to access from the signed turn-off via a short 4km gravel road. The spacious DoC camp is set well back from the beach along a stream in a grassy/trees area—no view of beach from the camp. The charm of Rarawa Beach is its white sand. Most of the beach is hard-packed and 4WD cars drive onto it. Where Rarawa’s beauty REALLY comes alive is if you walk to the far north end of the beach then scamper 15 minutes over the tide-pool/mermaid pool rocks. These pools are great, but better is the endless white sand beach of Great Exhibition Bay stretching northwards. This beach may be the longest stretch of unpeopled beach in NZ, and powdery white sand to boot! You won’t find whiter sand than this—it is reputed to be the world’s purest silica sands and was once mined for its purity. Grab a handful to compare with Taranaki’s 100% black sands (H10).

Spirits Bay: -34.427239 172.862558

Spirits Bay is a drop-dead long gorgeous crescent of beach that becomes drop-deader as the tide recedes and its big smile of beach gets wider ! Long beach-walk heaven. On Spirit’s east end is a shallow

Google Coords

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Spirits Bay

sandy cove perfect for swimming. Sharp eyes can spot Cape Reinga’s lighthouse to the NW. The DoC camp is very spacious, though you can’t see the beach/ocean from the camp. The arduous gravel access road to Spirits Bay keeps the camper hordes at bay. The signed turn-off is just north of Waitiki Landing and then its 16km of gravel road to the camp/beach. This is a wide, fast, graded gravel road, good for any car or RV, but the length keeps casual sightseers away—it takes about 20 minutes to drive.

Tapotupotu Bay: -34.437325 172.715703

This little beach cove is tucked right under Cape Reinga—the access road is signed just a couple kms before the Cape’s road-end carpark. The beach cove is a beauty, though small…and you’re able see the ocean from the camp area. Sounds great…but…the DoC camp is fairly small, and this is the problem with Tapotupotu. Since it is near the Cape and easy to access, “everyone” thinks it’ll be a perfect campsite…and thus “everyone” crowds in, especially as dusk approaches and all the freedom-camper-types are shooed out the carpark at Cape Reinga...only to migrate down here to squeeze in. Mosquitoes can be dreadful too. The wise frenzied camper heads a bit farther to Spirits Bay.

Google Coords

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featureless beach

90-MILE BEACHA7

90-Mile Beach is at once both the most nondescript and the most amazing beach on the island—a classic Far North adventure! The beach’s myth is legendary…cars swallowed by rising tides, quicksand, sweeper waves, etc., etc., but the reality is less dramatic. The entire 66-mile beach is almost featureless. Therein lies its greatness though, because no features…means no blockages…means a 2WD car can drive the entire length at half-tide or lower (a 6-hour window). At low tide this beach becomes the best/funnest highway on the island. Where else on the North Island can you drive straight for 60 miles, “pedal to the metal”?

Ignore the rampant scare-the-tourists myths…90-Mile Beach needs to be respected, not feared. Local 2WD cars drive on it every day. Daily Tour buses speed its entire length. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s hypnotic…endless dunes on one side, breakers and horizon on the other. 90-Mile Beach is both the fastest and the funnest route from Cape Reinga down to Ahipara!

There are, of course, a few need-to-knows. First, wetsand is your friend, dry sand is the enemy. The lower (wet) half of the beach is where you want to drive. Second, it’s often swerve-happy teens and careless picnickers who get stuck in the dry sand when they do U-turns or attempt to stop high up on the dry sand beach. If you do ever get bogged down, DON’T SPIN YOUR WHEELS and dig yourself deeper. If you haven’t brought a plank or shovel to help you dig, then just wait…fishermen will come by and they are generally well-prepared and friendly, especially if you are both humble and have beer.

OBSCUR-O-METERTe Paki: -34.549017 172.757835Hukatere: -34.898751 173.084670Waipapakauri: -35.040077 173.167533

Now you’re scared, better take the bus

Google Coords

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DRIVING: Waipapakauri is signed off of SH1 about 8km north of Awanui. Hukatere’s access road is called Whaler’s Rd and is 27km north of Waipapakauri, or 2.5km south of Pukenui. The Te Paki Stream access road is 4km north of Waitiki Landing then 4km west.

For your first time on 90-Mile, definitely go on a falling tide to give yourself plenty of time to turn back and retreat if you decide to.

About the beach driving route: If you’ve never driven sand before, then Waipapakauri is where you should start because the ramp there is often the easiest—it usually leads directly down onto wetsand, and there are often locals around the spot. But, things change on beaches, so it’s best to go scout the Waipapakauri sand ramp to see what shape it’s in. The Waipapakauri access is signed on SH1 about 8km north of Awanui.

Once on the beach, heading north from Waipapakauri set your odometer. In 17km you’ll find the Hukatere Hill access road (directly at the small namesake hill). In recent years this access has been improved for 2WD usage. You could enter or exit the beach at this point. Heading

north from Hukatere, the only way off the beach is via the Te Paki Stream (50km north of Hukatere Hill, 67km north of Waipapakauri ramp) (A3).

Some tips:u Slow down at the many stream crossings and hit them at an angle.u Bring a plank or two of wood to help dig out the unlucky/unskilled.u The “pinch” at The Bluff is the crucial point to get around on a rising tide. On its northern side some rocks extend down to the mid-tide line. It’ll be sketchy getting past this point at mid-tide or higher.u At low tide it’s sometimes possible to drive from Ahipara to Shipwreck Bay via a fun slalom course through the rocks. Sometime the sand changes and the route isn’t feasible.u The Ancient Kauri Kingdom, north of Awanui, has a $$ carwash that’ll de-sand and de-salt your entire car. Good idea!!

Hukatere Hill

2WD on/off

Wet sand

The off/on ramp at Waipapakauri

2WD on 90-Mile

Sealedramp

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• Elevation: 130m

extinct volcano/white sand beach

PUHEKE HILL

Walk: Short steep walk to top of volcano

A8(Say: Poo-heh-keh)

When was the last time that you climbed a volcano sprouting from a white sand beach? When was the last time you gazed from the top of a volcano that bisected a 12km stretch of sugar-white sand, not another soul in sight?

Puheke is a small volcanic hill rising 130 meters directly off the beach. And what a beach it is—vast expanses of white sands and azure waters…not a home/bach in sight!! This is the type of place that seems to get left out of the mainstream guidebooks, yet will make your heart sing louder than all the tours those guidebooks babble on about.

The road to Puheke is via the sleepy bach village of Rangiputa. Once at Puheke there’s beach-side parking or a dirt road leading higher onto the flank of the volcano. From this top carpark a walk to the top takes 20 minutes. There is a faint, possibly overgrown, path that contours down and east from the top, heading down to the beach coves.

Also, from the upper carpark a skinny path leads down to the 7 dwarves—the charming cluster secluded snow-white-sand coves nestled against Puheke’s eastern flank. If you really want to see NOBODY all day on a gloriously unspoiled shoreline, this is your place. Heading east along the beach from Puheke there’s no access to the beach for 5-6km—just a solitude of white dunes and beachcombing. Puheke is definitely the diamond in Doubtless Bay’s not-so-rough.

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Looking west to Puheke Hill

Park here

Rangiputa

Google Coords -34.860518 173.328390

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DRIVING: On the Karikari Peninsula Rangiputa is signed 10 km up Inland Rd., but the small signs can be hard to see—set your odometer on SH10 and keep a sharp eye for the left turn near some billboards and marine shops. Turn left and head 6km, then turn right at signs for Puheke and go 4.5km gravel to the road-end. The upper carpark is usually 2WD friendly, but walk the road first to check.

Karikari Beach from Puheke

Maitai accessSnow White’s

coves

Puheke upper carpark(for viewpoint track)

Snow White’s Dunes. About a 40-minute walk along Karikari beach from the last of Puheke’s coves a little stream crosses the sands from an inland lagoon. If you head up into the dunes before the stream you’ll find a marvelously hidden expanse of breathtakingly white wind-patterned dunes bordering the lagoon. Snow White never looked so good! There are vast expanses of unvegetated dunes interspersed with shrub patches. Explore the dunescape back westward for about 1km before looping back down onto the beach.

Rangiputa Beach. Another unheralded beauty in the area is the hamlet of Rangiputa and its beach. Pass the signed turn for Puheke and continue a few kms to the road end “Marginal Strip” DoC reserve. Whoa, not marginal at all…more like exceptional! At lower tides there’s a gorgeous curve of sandy swim-friendly beach often sheltered from NE winds. Drive to the road-end of the reserve and at lower tides you can walk the beach rocks to some charming secluded coves. Well worth a look.

Snow White’s Dunes

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BEAUTY-KISSED TWIN BAYS

MAITAI BAY

Walk: 2km one-way to end of Merita Beach

A9

Sitting on the Pohutukawa tree’s branch on the ridge between these twin bays you’ll think that you’re nestled in the bounteous cleavage of Mother Nature’s bosom. As I sit in this very tree and write this Frenzied entry, I don’t wanna leave—it’s SO nice here! So, I’ll torture you with more puns…the view is eye-candy Sweet As…M&Ms. The waves break in smiles. Just like Campbell’s soup, this view is mmm, mmm good. Maitai and Merita…mmm, mmm good!

Overlooking pretty Maitai Beach sprawls a DOC campground that swarms at holiday times with thousands of family campers. Don’t even think of visiting here for Xmas/New Year’s. Any other time of year though there’s plenty of room and few people. Families swim and sun all day long while sailboats come and go. Maitai Beach might be the perfect curve of sand.

While Maitai Bay is a small simple curve of wondrous sand, Merita is a lady of deeper intrigue. A long walk along her shore features jungle-gym Pohutukawas, bouldery coves, and swim-to islands. It’s all public beach, so it’s OK to walk all the way to the end (around the mid-beach saddle). The intriguing walk all the way along Merita is about 2km one-way.

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Sit here:

See thisViewpoint Pohutukawa

Maitai Bay

See this

Merita Beach

-34.829448 173.405768 Google Coords

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DRIVING: On SH10,15km east of Awanui, turn north onto Inland Rd at Tokerau/Whatuwhiwhi/Maitai signs and head 20km to Maitai, the last few km unsealed.

Karikari Beach. Plenty of people who visit Maitai have no idea that sweeping Karikari Bay and its infinity of white sand and blue water are just a 20-minute walk or short drive directly over the western hill from Maitai campground. Just past Maitai’s road entrance a “no access” sign is a bit confusing, but the dirt road heading left leads 500m to a grassy carpark. The sugar-white beach is down the short track.

If the wind is blowing on one side of this peninsula, simply head to the other for calm swimming. Yum.

Middle of Merita Beach

Half-assphoto

Puheke HillMerita Beach Maitai Bay

The view track from the Fig Tree Track at Merita’s end

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bEACH WALK AND HEADLAND LOOP

FIG TREE LOOP TRACK

Walk: Easy 40 min (2.3km) beach walk, thenMod. 60-70 min (3.5km) loop. 3 hrs. total

A10

EXCEPTIONAL! This unheralded, yet fabulous, track has recently returned to its former glory because DoC made the stalwart effort to clear the Gorse and shrub that overwhelmed this track a decade ago. Bravo DoC!

Amongst Northland’s standout collection of scenic walks, the Fig Tree beach walk/headland loop combo stands out as unique. Rarely does a walk take you along a show-stopper beach as well as including a bush loop atop a view-packed headland. This walk, along with the Mahinepua Peninsula (A14), define “bang-for-the-buck” Northland style.

In a nutshell, you walk from the Maitai Bay DoC camp along the entire curve of Merita Beach, leaving the beach at the very end to ascend a rough track to a former trig lookout…and then descend along the sea-view ridge back to the beach, stopping frequently along the ridge to gawk at the sights. Awesome! To add to the pleasure, the final cove at the end of Merita is swim-friendly calm, even when winds have whipped Maitai Bay into a froth of waves. C’mon, just guess how much Frenzy likes a tranquil swim from a secluded beach around a small island after a sweaty hour-long pleasure loop?

In case this adjective-overload hasn’t done the trick yet to get you motivated…please imagine a view NW from the Fig Tree ridge where, over and past the gracious twin curves of M & M bays, you’ll see Puheke Hill presiding over all of white-sand Karikari Beach and blue-blue Rangaunu Bay… and everything northwards up to the very North Cape of the island. Whoa. To the south all the headland coastal glories to the finger of the Mahinepua Peninsula and distant Cape Brett past the Cavalli Islands. Superlative superlatives. Must-see Far North!

OBSCUR-O-METER -34.829117 173.410856 Google Coords

• Elevation trailhead: 0 to 158 meters

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Note: in 2016 there were signs at Maitai indicating this loop might be impassable. It wasn’t. Despite the minor landslide the loop is still intact.

Begin along Merita Beach from Maitai camp. 20 minutes along you’ll come to the first rocky point and its incredible Pohutukawa trees. Look for the wee DoC-marked track around the rocky point, avoiding the private property. Arriving at the beach’s end, look for the DoC markers for the Fig Tree loop beside a small stream 300 meters before the beach ends. The loop begins here and ends by coming down behind the trees at the very end of the beach. Best to go counter-clockwise…up the stream first. The track is a bit rough, but in about 20 minutes, after a couple of super-steep bits, you’ll come to a signed junction. Go left here and up the final cursingly steep hill to the ridgetop where you’ll soon see the forlorn remains of the fallen trig (if DoC leaves them). Now comes ooh-la-la time as you traverse the ridge…all downhill now back to the beach. And, thanks again to DoC for clearing some shrubs to provide the exquisite views! Once back down to the beach, of course strip off those sweaty clothes for a swim around the island…before retracing your footprints along Merita Beach.

DRIVING: Same as Maitai Bay, previous entry.

Walk

Fig Tree Ridge

Puheke Hill

Camp

MeritaMaitai

Looking north up the coast

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drive-to viewpoint/surf beach/dunes

AHIPARA/SHIPWRECK BAY

Walk: Easy walk to viewpoint. 4km beach walk to dunes.

A11(Say: Ah-hee parra )

Ahipara is a beautiful little beach settlement anchoring the southern end of 90-Mile Beach. Gumdiggers had their boom years a century ago, but these days Ahipara’s glory is surfing and beauty. Surfing fame arrived in 1966 when Shipwreck Beach was featured in the legendary surf flick “Endless Summer” (towards the end of the movie—minute 117—the boys road-trip through the North Island. Worth seeing!).

Note, the shipwreck of the bay’s namesake is the pipe-looking thing sticking up out of the surf zone at mid-beach. It is the wheel shaft of the steamer “Favourite” which sank here in 1870. Look for a plaque near the beach entrance on a rock. Google it too.

L i t t l e - k n o w n i s a pr ime v iewpoint perched on the 200m b l u f f t h a t b a c k s Ahipara. This quasi-developed viewpoint was once a popular hang-glider launch, but now the road is far too rugged for most vehicles. You must walk the “road” out to the cliff-edge view-

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Dune Hills

Low-tideroute

Shipwreck BayCampground

Ahipara Viewpoint

4km walk

90-Mile Beach

AhiparaAhipara Viewpoint

-35.179616 173.120662 Google Coords

Theship-wreck

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spot now. The view is superb, sweeping from Shipwreck’s golden dunes all the way up 90-Mile Beach

Shipwreck Bay Dunes.From Shipwreck Bay a gorgeous beach route leads to the far-off Reef

Point. Locals have improved the route with cement in the rocky low spots…making it drivable at low-tide. Amazingly, a 4WD can manage the rocks and wetsand…but beware, the wetsand ends suddenly at the giant dunes and soft sand begins. I recommend leaving this “driving route” to the local fishermen.

But, as a venturesome beach walk, this lil section of coast is hard to beat!! And, if you time it with a rising tide (when the fishermen and surfers leave), you may have this slice of beach heaven all to yourself. Here’s the lowdown: high tide pinches off beach driving access at the point immediately past the far end of Shipwreck Beach. But, it’s fairly easy to walk/slosh around this point if the tide is mid-high and you’re in sandals. Once past this first pinch point, the further coves are delightful walking. Things get far more interesting 3km along this beach when the humungous Ahipara dunes rise up over the coves. These dunes are popular on weekends with ATV explorers, but most of the rest of the time they just wait in their sandy glory for intrepid explorers to climb up and give them a look. The steep slog up the dune slope is tough, but the run back down sure is fun! Atop the dunes is an otherworldly landscape of petrified sand, petrified Kauri gum, and petrified wonder! Rarely-seen jaw-drop beauty up here…don’t tell Lonely Planet.

DRIVING: Cruise through Ahipara towards its south end on the only road. Pass the last beach homes/baches and keep heading south to the end of the bay. After a gully the road climbs a short hill and then comes the unsigned fork where a right quickly descends to Shipwreck Bay. To go up to the viewpoint continue EXACTLY 2km past this fork. At 2km look for a white-sand roadway angling off to the left through a broken-down gate. Park where you can here and walk the 7-10 minutes out to the view. The road does braid a bit, but they all lead out to the edge. (Note, some dwellings have lately been springing up along this viewpoint road.)

Looking east from dunes

AhiparaShipwrecks

Dune-top weirdness

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kauri grove and world's biggest stump

OMAHUTA KAURI STUMP

Walk: Easy-ish short 30-minute loop walk

A12(Say: Oh-ma-hoota Cow-ree)

OK, this entry is personal to me. I have no idea if you are as fascinated with Kauri as I am. If sky-scraping Kauri somehow bore you, or your travel itinerary just doesn’t have the time to venture too far off the beaten path, then turn the page and hurry to the other Northland wonders. But if you’re like me, intrigued by these huge distinctive Kauri trees…their felling, their dams, their gum…then you’ll like this Omahuta Forest sanctuary. Unlike the tourist hustle-bustle at the Waipoua Kauris, virtually nobody

visits this majestic middle-of-nowhere Omahuta Kauri grove, featuring probably the biggest Kauri stump anywhere in NZ.

In my first visits to NZ in ’06 and ’07 I drove circles around the North Island becoming increasingly fascinated by Kauris and their sad demise. From the Bay of Plenty to Tane Mahuta I wondered, “What happened to the stumps…where are they??” When I saw the incredible historic Kauri “hugeness” circles at the Matakohe Kauri Museum, I wondered even more. I quizzed DOC rangers, but nobody seemed to have a firm answer. Many surmised that the stumps are gone because gum diggers pulled them to both look for gum and to burn for firewood. Years later

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Carpark map

#12 inthe world

#8 inthe world

-35.234391 173.628382 Google Coords

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the experts at Coromandel’s Kauaeranga Forest confirmed that story—after the trees were felled the stumps were often pulled and chopped up for firewood, or sometimes to sell to mining operations. Kauri camps needed abundant firewood, and thus the crowns and stumps were fully chopped-up and used.

At the Omahuta Forest Sanctuary, I believe that you can see, walk on, and measure the biggest Kauri remnant left in the world! The biggest stump is here, though it is cut pretty close to the ground and you wouldn’t recognize it as a stump unless it was pointed out. But what a stump it is…walk across it, measure it…lay down on it and imagine the monster Kauris of times past. This stump measures nearly 2m wider than Tane Mahuta! Some 20m away you can see the crown of the tree just as it fell. Imagine the legendary Ghost Kauri, meters wider than even this huge stump (portrayed at the Kauri Museum—B10).

For a peaceful half-hour loop walk through actual living Kauri giants of Omahuta drive a few minutes past the stump. This is a nice walk…no tourists, just primeval forest. Skip the Pukekohe track—it’s dull.

DRIVING: On SH1, half way between Kawakawa and Kaitaia, you need to find Mangamuka Bridge (the turn-off to Hokianga Harbor ferry.) Just 1km south of Mangamuka Bridge is the signed turn for Omahuta Forest. Turn and set your odometer here, then head about 6km as the road turns to gravel. At the 6km mark you need to turn right to stay on Omahuta Forest Rd—there is a small sign. Head about 6km more on this slower winding gravel road into the forest and keep a sharp eye out for a small right-side pull-off carpark that may/may not have a sign indicating “Stump”. If you get to a road-sign for “Kauri Sanctuary” you are a few hundred meters past the stump. From the stump the road continues another 3km to the road-end carpark for the Omahuta kauri grove walk.

Hokianga Kauri

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Whangaroa bay monolith

ST. PAUL’S ROCK

DRIVING: On SH10, 10km north of Kaeo, turn at signs for Whangaroa. Head 4.6km then left at signs for 2km into the small village. Go past the hotel 400m and turn right at the sign for St Paul’s Reserve and go up 1km to the road-end carpark (just past the track sign.)

Tramp: Moderate, but steep, 20-min. track

A13(Say: Fahnga-row-a)

Heyhey, gotta love this monolithic protrusion rising 212m over Whangaroa Harbour. This bare rock knob is the eroded core of an ancient volcano. That’s neat and all, but what’s neater is the 20-minute track that ascends it and the commanding view you’ll get for that paltry effort. Since the access road climbs 60m, the track up is a mere 150m vertical, and the tramping is funfun since the scurry up the final gully involves chains and whips.

Topping out, the glory of the panoramic view is epic! There are good rocks to sit on and nothing blocking the

harbour’s 360° of green octopussy goodness. A low tide may let you see the grid-like lines of an oyster farm in the waters below. All told, a unique and non-touristy view for only a few minutes of huff n’ puffing.

If you’re cruising by on SH10 on the way to some other more touristy “Northland h igh l igh t , ” s top by here for a fun jaunt—I think you’ll enjoy it. From SH10 the drive is only 10 minutes, and you could be up to the top and down in an hour…after that you can hurry on to wherever else the mains t ream guidebooks tell you is good.

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Sit here

Whangaroa Harbour

Carpark

Survey marker atop St. Paul’s Rock

-35.047252 173.750121 Google Coords

27

Far N

orth

Walk

DRIVING: On SH10 at the stop-sign bridge junction 3km north of Kaeo, head towards Whangaroa Town. Go 4km then turn right onto Wainui Rd. Set your odometer, as Mahinepua can be easy to miss. Head towards Tauranga Bay but stay on Wainui Rd for 13km, then turn left onto signed Mahinepua Rd which dead-ends at the bay in just 1km.

You can also come north from Matauri Bay, Mahinepua being the next bay north of Wainui Bay.

Mahinepua Peninsula is a slender and scalloped f inger of land jutt ing eastwards into the blue Pacific, kind of in the middle of nowhere. With-out understatement, the undulating track out to the Mahinepua trig is ……The Best Scenic Track in Northland!!

The peninsula sports a head-swiveling 360° of SPECTACULAR the entire way out and back!! On one short track you’ll probably see more bays and islands than most people visiting the Bay of Islands ever see. Few travelers ever hear of this track. Go figure. Most all the tourist info presented by the Bay of Islands is about how you can spend lots of money…not what is Best to do or how to Best spend your limited time and money. Ok, so now you’ve heard of Mahinepua, put it on your must-see list.

The track features plenty of sweaty ups and downs before arriving at the panoramic trig viewpoint. There’s even a little bonus loop at the end. A third of the way to the trig the track drops down to a pair of delightful swimming/sunbathing coves, so you may want to pack some drinks, towels, and bikinis to stash at these secluded coves for some Shangri-La time on your walk back out. Pray for a sunny day. Wow, I LOVE this lil undiscovered gem!

100% BEST OF NORTHLAND

MAHINEPUA PENINSULA TRACK

Walk: Moderate 40-45 minutes (3km) one-way

A14(Say: Ma hee-nee poo-ah)

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• Elevation: Trig is only 60m above sea level, but the up/downs on the track equal about 250m elev. gain

Carpark

Hidden swim cove

Looking northwest

-34.99918 173.843550 Google Coords