Day 5: Cabo Reinga - What to see in Northland: Te Paki Giant Dunes - 90 mile beach - Kauri Coast: Waipoua Forest - Kauro Coast Top 10 Holiday Park
What to see in Northland This is the question we asked ourselves when we decided to visit this part of the North Island of New Zealand, after visiting Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of the Cloud Country. And we have to say that we didn't need more than a few minutes to realize that this would probably be one of the places we would never forget, partly due to the possibility of seeing one of the symbols of the country: its famous kauris.
We start the day at 6:30 in the morning, when it has not yet dawned, giving us time to collect everything, take a shower and enjoy a breakfast in front of the beach, something that is allowing us to rent a motorhome in New Zealand, the Best means of transport to tour this country.
Remember that if you are interested in making a trip of this type, we recommend you look at the Motorhome Republic page where you can see all the available options, prices and make the reservation directly.
Our first stop on today's route through the places to see in Northland It is Te Paki Giant Dunes, just 14 kilometers from Tapotupotu Campsite where we arrive when it is 8:15 in the morning, after crossing a section of the unpaved road, which shows us that the motorhome can also travel on this type of road , even at less speed and paying more attention.
Te Paki Giant Dunes, one of the places to see in Northland
Not too well known by travelers, strolling through the Te Paki Dunes is one of the things to do in Northland that you can't miss With 7 square kilometers of dunes, this area of the cape is perfect to enjoy a walk and get to know one of the most amazing landscapes of the country in which the gigantic golden sand dunes give way to the sea.
Paki Giant Dunes
Tips for visiting the Te Paki Dunes
- Admission is free and being a natural space, which is not closed, it has no schedules. In spite of that, we recommend you whenever it is possible to arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid tourists who come with an agency to practice sandboarding.
- Although, as we mentioned before, the last kilometers are crossed by an unpaved road, you will not have any problem even if you take a motorhome. At the end of it you will see a small free parking where you can leave your vehicle.
- The dunes form on the sides of the Te Paki stream, so sometimes if it carries a lot of water, you will have to cross it. It's nothing deep, but you will have to get your feet wet to access the dunes if it carries some water.
- There are no marked trails. The only way to know the site is to climb the dunes, always carrying water and sunscreen and once in the highest area, enjoy the incredible views.
- The visit will take you about an hour if you climb to the highest dune.
Paki Giant Dunes
After practically an hour enjoying the Te Paki Dunes, when it is 9:30 in the morning, we head to the next point of the route for the places to see in Northland, which is not another one of the 90 mile beach, one of the most famous on the North Island and we would even dare to say, the country, which we will access through an entrance about 90 kilometers from the dunes.
Te Paki Giant Dunes, one of the places to see in Northland
90 mile beach
Yesterday we knew Cabo Reinga, the northernmost part of New Zealand, which in addition to its great symbolism and importance, is the end of an abrupt coastline of almost 110 kilometers. On the contrary, we find the famous Ninety Mile Beach or 90-mile beach, 90 kilometers (not miles) of sand dunes that can be accessed by several entrances, including the Te Paki Dunes that we visited previously.
However, it is not known for its dunes, but for being one of the few beaches where you can drive in New Zealand. Yes, how are you reading. This beach is considered a "road", although it can only be traveled at low tide and 4 × 4. In case of doing it at another time or with another type of vehicle, it will be your responsibility and although we do not want to be a spoiler, it would not be the first news that we read of a car that gets stuck in the sand.
90 mile beach, another place to see in Northland
- It is important to consider this data for several reasons:
As we mentioned, the 90-mile beach starts right at Te Paki, but this access is only enabled for 4 × 4, so it is impossible to access with any other type of vehicle. This also happens in several of the other entrances, so if you go on a tourism or motorhome, the best option or at least the one we take, is the entrance that is next to the Ninety Mile Beach Holiday Park, in the West Coast Road - From this road you can perfectly access the beach, leave the vehicle in the motorhome and walk in addition to seeing the views from a small viewpoint. In case you want to access with your vehicle, you can also do it, always under your responsibility.
- Remember that it is only recommended to drive on the 90-mile Beach with 4 × 4 and 2 hours before or after low tide. You can check the tide schedule on Google or on a page like Metservice, also super practical to check the weather in New Zealand.
- Despite everything mentioned above, you should also know that no car rental or motorhome rental company will cover you in case of any mishap driving on a beach, so this is also something to consider before deciding if you have the experience or not
- Another important thing is that in the access area that we recommend there is no Spark coverage, so you will not have internet or possibility of making calls.
90 mile beach
As we mentioned before, our decision is to travel the 90 kilometers that separate us from the Te Paki dunes until the last entrance to the 90 Mile Beach, a journey that we do in a couple of hours, surrounded by a landscape that seems from another world and that from now on, will be a constant on this trip to New Zealand.
We arrived there at 11 in the morning and after leaving the motorhome in the free parking, we entered one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Northern Lands of New Zealand, enjoying a beach that in some way reminds us of those We saw on the trip to South Africa, because of its length and the incredible landscapes that surround it.
90 mile beach
After two hours, during which we take the opportunity to eat in front of the beach, it is 1 noon noon when we leave the 90 Mile Beach heading to another of the places to see in Northland: the Kauri Coast or Kauri Coast, 110 kilometers of coastline, between the areas of Kaipara and Hokianga, where you can see the famous forests of kauris, one of the symbols of New Zealand.
More practical information to prepare your trip to New Zealand
- 10 essential tips for traveling to New Zealand
- 10 essential places to see in New Zealand
- The best travel insurance for New Zealand
The first thing to keep in mind is that along the Kauri Coast you can visit different forests, among which the Waiporua Forest and the Trounson Kauri Park stand out. In our case and for the route we are doing, from the north of the island to the south, the first one we meet is with Waipoura and therefore, it will be the first one we visit.
To get here we travel 130 kilometers from the 90-mile beach, in about 90 minutes, which includes a small ferry that must be taken in the town of Rawene. The price of this ferry is 20NZD per motorhome of less than 5 meters and 2NZD per adult and the journey is about 15 minutes.
Rawene Ferry
And so after crossing this tongue of water, in 15 minutes, we reach Narrows, from where we continue our route through Northland Now, entering fully into the Kauri Coast, one of the essential places to see in New Zealand, where we began to feel like in Jurassic Park, surrounded by the most impressive vegetation dominated by giant ferns.
And so, surrounded by the wildest nature, we arrive at Waiporua Forest when it is 4 in the afternoon, after leaving the motorhome in the parking lot, we enter one of the most beautiful forests in New Zealand.
Kauri Coast
As we mentioned before, this piece of coastline of 110 kilometers, hides in its forests some of the precious kauris of New Zealand, the largest trees in the country that little by little and after the British colonization, have been disappearing, especially after indiscriminate felling.
Although they can be seen in some more areas of New Zealand, which we will talk about in the next few days, it is on the Kauri Coast where you can see the biggest examples and also more Famous.
These trees, due to their structure and appearance, have been and continue to be coveted by many for the construction of boats or houses, and even for decoration, something you can see in the shops of many locations where unique pieces of kauri are exhibited prices as excessive as the quality of its protagonist.
Kauri Coast
Due to this indiscriminate felling, we are currently trying to preserve and take care of the specimens of kauris that can still be found in the country, so that it is necessary to be very thorough with certain aspects, so that our visit does not cause them any harm .
To do this, you have to follow certain rules that you will see at the entrance of the Kauris forests:
- Clean your shoes / boots with the brushes in the machines.
- Step hard on the plates that will impregnate the disinfectant soles.
- In addition to this process, it is important to never leave the marked paths, touch the trees or leave any type of waste or trash.
Protection system for kauris
Waipoua Forest
Inside the Kauri Coast, another one of the places to see in NorthlandThere are two main kauris forests, the Waiporua Forest and the Trounson Kauri Park, which you can access for free. The most famous is Waipoua Forest which was declared in the year 1952 forest reserve after the indiscriminate felling of which we talked earlier and which is currently controlled by the iwi, a local tribe that you can know much more at the Visitor Center of Waipoua
Within Waipoua there are different paths that take you to the most famous kauris in the forest:
- Tane Mahuta: If you are doing the route we do for the places to see in Northland, Tane Mahuta will be your first stop inside the Waipoua Forest in addition to one of the places to see in Northland that you can't miss Between 1500 and 2000 years old, this is the oldest kauri in the world and has the Maori name of the forest god.
To be able to arrive you only have to follow a short path of a few meters and approach the two viewpoints from which you can observe this incredible tree of almost 52 meters high and 14 meters in diameter.
Tane Mahuta in Waipoua Forest
- Te Matua Ngahere, Four Sisters, Yakas: 1 kilometer from Tane Mahuta, which you can travel by car, you will find the Kauri Walks, three paths of different lengths that take you to the three kauris mentioned above.
The first one is 40 minutes and takes you to Four Sisters, a 4-trunk kauri, hence its name, which are joined by the base. Although it is not the longest nor the largest, it must be said that seeing 4 logs joined by the same base is not something usual.
Four sisters
The second of the trails is about 20 minutes and takes you to Te Matua Ngahere, known as the forest father since it is 30 meters high and almost 17 meters in diameter, making this the kauri with the trunk with the largest diameter in the world.
Matua Ngahere
The third of the trails is the one that takes you to Yakas, the seventh largest kauri in the world, which you can reach after entering the forest for an hour or so and although it is one of the most we wanted to do, Since we read that the route is very attractive, at this time they are conditioning the area, so access is restricted.
Waipoua Forest
Keep in mind that although the Lonely Planet guide indicates that Waipoua Forest closes at 6 in the afternoon, we have not seen signs or anything that prevents access, so we interpret that you can come at any time of the day, always Let there be light to enjoy the place.
As we mentioned earlier on the Kauri Coast you can also visit the famous Trounson Kauri Park, which is about 11 kilometers south of the Waipoua Forest. This forest of 450 hectares can be known through a circular path that passes next to several copies of kauris, all spectacular, but less impressive than those you can see in Waipoua Forest.
Because of this and that in our case it is already more than half part, we decided to leave this visit and go directly to what will be our accommodation tonight.
If you have time or do the tour in the opposite direction, we believe that this can be a visit that perfectly complements Waipoua Forest, since although it is less impressive, the experience of walking through the forest we assure you that it is really magical.
Waipoua Forest trails
And so, after this incredible visit in the New Zealand by motorhome, which has led us to know one of the most impressive places in New Zealand, we make our way to Kauro Coast Top 10 Holiday Park, our accommodation in Northland, 20 kilometers from Waipoua and about 30 minutes away, where we arrive when there are a few minutes to 7 in the afternoon.
Kauro Coast Top 10 Holiday Park
The reason we have chosen this accommodation is the possibility of seeing luminous worms, such as those we will see later in Waitomo, on one of the trails in the campsite. And after the experience, we have to say that although there are not many, it is totally recommended especially if you have not been in the caves, since here as we say, only very few are seen.
What we did not know or intuit is that this would be the first time we would see the Milky Way in New Zealand, in addition to one of the most incredible skies we have been lucky to see on the trips we have made, which has reminded us of the incredible Atacama Desert of Chile and has made us remember again how lucky we are and the incredible journey we still have to go ...
We leave you the route we have done today for the places to see in Northland, including Te Paki Giant Dunes, the 90 mile Beach and the Kauri Coast, where we visited Waipoua Forest and slept in Kauro Coast Top 10 Holiday Park, one of the most recommended accommodations in the area.
Day 6: Kauro Coast Top 10 Holiday Park - Bayly's Beach - How to go to the Coromandel Peninsula: Thames
