'A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.'
Bay of Islands
The first stop during our time on the Kiwi Experience was The Bay of Islands, an area right at the top of New Zealand. The town we stayed in was called Paihia, one of New Zealand's favourite holiday locations, so we found out.
First impressions were that I could see why so many people flocked there for their holidays as it is absolutely picturesque. A beautiful beach town if ever there was one, good scenery and the beach is quite literally on the towns doorstep. A fairly sleepy town in my opinion, bearing in mind we visited during autumn, I can imagine that's not quite the case during the height of summer. The environment was relaxed and peaceful which was highly welcomed after the hectic travel the previous days had offered. There were plenty of excursions and activities on offer, including: boat trips, swimming with dolphins, skydiving, day trips to other areas to name a few. These all however were quite costly, not too friendly if you're on a budget as we were.
All in all it was a pleasant place with a good atmosphere, but as we didn't have too much spare cash to spend on activities I don't think I could stay there for more than a few days.
Cape Reinga.
Included in our travel pass was a day trip to Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua, the most north point in New Zealand where the Pacific meets the Tasman sea.
A keen tourist spot for visitors to the North Island and I can definitely see why, it is a beautiful spot. Pictures do it no justice, with stunning cliff walks and a famous lighthouse point, it is the perfect place to snap a few photos to make your friends and family back home very jealous.
Not only is this area a natural beauty, it is a sacred spiritual spot for the Maori culture. It is where, according to mythology, the spirits of the dead transcends the land and passes through to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland, Hawaiki. They leap off the headland and climb the roots of the Tapu (sacred) 800 year old Pohutukawa tree and descend to the underworld. The Maori name for the area 'Te Rerenga Wairua' means the leaping-off place of spirits. Knowing that the area holds such significant spiritual value to the Maori people made the visit even more fascinating and special.
On our journey back to Paihia we stopped at the Te Paki Stream, where we were invited to take part in sand boarding, down a very steep sand dune. Not for the faint hearted I must say. We then drove along the 90 mile beach, a stretch of beach where cars and tourist buses can drive through the sand and the surf, it was quite isolated when we visited so we pretty much had the place to our self, making it all the more cool. Only thing you have to look out for is cars cruising along the sand, because they are definitely not going to stop for you.
The final stop of the day was in Mangonui where we went to sample the 'world famous fish and chips' for me this was the only disappointment of the day. Not at all a patch on British fish and chips I must say.
The Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga were a brilliant start to our journey and only the beginning of the natural beauty that we would witness during our time in New Zealand.
NEXT STOP: Hot Water Beach.
Until next time,
Charlotte xx
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