Cape Reinga is also where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific meet. From the point, you can see the two bodies of water mashing into one another in a froth of water. I try swimming at a couple of beaches - Tupotupoto Bay and then Spirits Bay, where we end our day and set up camp - and at both places there are weird currents. Water pulls at me from all sides. Waves come in from straight on AND the sides, colliding and creating Super Waves. Great for body surfing, but a little unnerving when they come rushing at you in a wall of water.
We get away by 10:05am today - a new record! Of course we have to stop three times along the road out as we forget first to lock a door, to bring the maps to the front, and to tie back a curtain that swings shut thus blocking the drivers rear view. Then it is time for a bathroom stop, and, oh, that is also when we discover the NEST OF ANTS LIVING UNDERNEATH THE DRIVERS FLOOR MAT. Blame that on the hairy sweaty man we are convinced was using the Scubby before us and dripping large plates of fish and chips all over the floor. Or something like that.
After a while you just have to come to accept the delays and that when we are leaving, we are not really leaving. At least not yet.
It seems that there is no one on the road to the cape. Just us.
And sheep.
And cows.
And sand dunes.
But, when we reach the tip the car park is full of cars and campers. Even a tour bus pulls in while we are there.
Cape Reinga is beautiful. The sun shine and the mist combine to give it an ethereal atmosphere. It is a Maori spiritual ground, the point where the spirit of a person departs the living world and enters the sea. There is a tree out on the tip that the spirits use to climb down into the water. In other places this tree flowers. This is the only tree that doesn't flower that should.
Jenn gets a shudder wave move through her while overlooking the sea, by the lighthouse. "It isn't a bad feeling" she explains, but it makes the hair stand up on her legs and arms and a chill shiver through her.
There is a walk down to the lighthouse and from there trails that head east, and west, along the cliffs. These walks are all part of the Coastal Trail that takes a few days to complete. We take the west trail and hike an hour or so down to a secluded beach (we are the only ones on it, despite the fact that it goes on for miles!) for a snack. The ascent back up is a bit of a grind but the views and cool breezes make it all worth it.
Below, the turquoise water is edged with whitecaps. It is quite serene and the sea air is easy to breath. Afterwards, we drive over to Tupotupoto Bay for lunch and a swim in the crazy waves. Both of us, while we are driving, note the funny smell which can be described as something like honeyed urine cooking in the sun. Hmmm. We realize that it is the manuka trees which are everywhere along the road.
Back down the road a ways are the TuPaki sand dunes which tower over us. Who knows how many hundreds of years it took to form these giants? We watch a few people do some sand boarding but it doesn't look as fun or as fast as winter tobogganing. I force Jenn to climb to the top of the biggest dune which makes our calf muscles scream in defiance. It's a workout. To say the least. We then "ski" down (sidestepping and sliding in the sand). Jenn has a minor freakout thinking that the dune is going to avalanche on her.
At our campsite last night Peter, Ray and Lynn raved on about the pink shell beach and DOC campsite at Spirits Bay so we endure the 16km unpaved drive to get to this exclusive paradise. It's a spot that is filled with a wonderful calming energy and we are glad that we made the effort. The rustic amenities are all new and smell like fresh milled wood (that makes even the cold water only showers much more bearable!).
Only a few campers are here - a swiss couple who pester us for cigarettes, an older couple who are on the other side of the camp, and a NZ father and son who go out night fishing (and spear fishing!!!) off the reef for snapper and 70kg kingfish...in their RUBBER DINGHY no less!
Time for an evening swim!
We think we've hit the jackpot...until darkness descends and millions of mozzies come out to try to sneak there way into the Scubby. Great - just what we need. First ants and now a steady stream of mozzies. How are these insects getting in?!?!
once, when i was 16 and on the end of the year trip to Tadoussac for the Ontario Science Centre School, We had the option of going whale watching again, or sand dune skiing. I chose the skiing. First we picked up downhill ski gear from the youth hostel, then we climbed the dune over beside the St. Lawrence River. The boys went first, skiing on an angle down the dune, carefully stopping to turn so they didn't fall and get sand burn. I threw rocks down and wondered why they always ended up rolling down tall end up. When it was my turn, I climbed to the top of the steepest part, turned my skis pointing down, decided the slow-turn method looked boring and slow, and pushed off straight down the hill. I went quickly rather fast, and i had to keep weaving my feet in and out to avoid all the rocks on the slope. There was a long beach at the bottom, and I kind of thought I would stop, due to the friction of the sand at the bottom. However, I was apparently in an alternate universe where the coefficient of friction was irrelevant, and I skied across the whole beach. When i realized i wasnt stopping i tried to turn away from the water, but it was too close, and i skied out over the water. about 6 feet from shore it occured to me i was not going to stop unless i did something, so i fell over. But then i was in water past my waist, wearing downhill boots, and skis jammed with sand, and with the waves, it was a bit hard to get the skis off. I finally did, and swam back in, and when i pulled myself out of the water, the supervising teacher was truly, literally, completely speechless. He kept trying to say something, then he would pull his hat off his head and cover his face, and then begin again. I think maybe he had been a bit scared. your dune story has reminded me of that excellent moment of mine, so thanks. PS, if you can believe it, the other kids were allowed to go down a second time, and i wasn't!!
ReplyDeletelove you both,
patti