Cape Reinga and Northland

Cape Reinga Lighthouse

No trip to New Zealand is complete unless you go on a road trip to Northland and visit spectacular Cape Reinga.

On the road to the far north.

In our 12-seater rental van.

Like all road trips that I've been on in New Zealand, I did this one with my Auckland Uni schoolmates, who were mostly Filipinos, but with the addition of Chinese classmate Yue and Vietnamese classmate Hang Anh. We hired a 12 seater Ford Transit van from USave and left Auckland at 6 in the evening on a Friday.

Gassing up our van rental

As usual, ako yung dakilang designated driver. I drove 230 kilometers north to the Bay of Islands. Other than the long distance, it is quite pleasant to drive in New Zealand. If I did a similar long drive in the Philippines, I would've definitely encountered lots of crazy drivers, jaywalking pedestrians and potholed roads, and developed a headache along the way. None of that sort happened in NZ. So, I really didn't mind driving. And the good thing about it is I had control of the music. Hahaha!

Pepper Tree Lodge in the Bay of Islands.

The eleven of us stayed at Pepper Tree Lodge Backpackers in the Bay of Islands. Hostels in New Zealand are generally clean and safe. Pepper Tree was a good one, however a couple of bunk beds of the girls had bedbugs in them, allegedly left by the previous guest. Anyway, we complained about it and the manager addressed the situation.

First stop for this trip was Matai Bay in the Karikari Peninsula, 100 kilometers further up north from the Bay of Islands. Matai Bay is just one of New Zealand's many pristine beaches. I would've taken a dip, but the water was freezing. Our friend Lez did swim though. Brave girl.

With classmates Hang Anh and Yue jumping at Matai Beach.

Cape Reinga

From Matai Bay we drove another 130 kilometers further up to the northern tip of New Zealand--Cape Reinga. It was discovered by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman--the same explorer who named New Zealand after a town in the Netherlands. 

It was a beautiful day when we visited. The sun was out, the grass green, the ocean blue and the sky absolutely magnificent. Cape Reinga is famous for its lighthouse. It reminded me of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

Afterwards, the group made a u-turn and dropped by the Te Paki Giant Sand Dunes. Again, Northland reminded me so much of home. The sand dunes reminded me of our own versions in La Paz, Laoag City and Paoay town. However, the sand dunes in Northland are really big and towering. 

Group photo at the Te Paki Giant Sand Dunes.

We rented sand boards for NZ$15 per person. We actually negotiated for a lower price for half the time. You can haggle too, or you can bring your own sand board. Anyway, we hiked all the way to the highest dune and slid down the steep slopes. It was fun and death defying at the same time. Many of us had sand for merienda.

Group photo at 90 Mile Beach.

From the sand dunes, we passed by 90 Mile Beach, which was on the way back to the Bay of Islands anyway. It's not really 90 miles. more of 60, I think. But it's called that to emphasize its length and massiveness. It's a really big beach. I've never seen such massive beach front. People drive their 4x4s and other adventure vehicles here. In fact, they shoot a lot of car commercials in this area.

What a shore.

The visits to Cape Reinga, Te Paki and 90 Mile Beach took the entire day. From the beach, we drove back to our hostel in the Bay of Islands.

Sunrise at the Bay of Islands.

The Bay of Islands is a tourist destination in itself. Like the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan, the Bay of Islands is know for its many small islands and islets. Boats ferry visitors from one island to the other and they can do all of sorts of things like, swim, fish or dolphin watch. Too bad we didn't have enough time (and money) to do those activities.

Sunrise from the Opua Forest.

The next day, we woke up early to watch the sunrise. Some of us went to the bay shore, which was near the hostel, and waited for the sun to come up there. The others, including myself, hiked up the Opua Forest and watched the sunrise from there.

Our first official stop for the day was the Treaty of Waitangi Grounds. Before the country became New Zealand, it was known as Aotearoa and was occupied by the Maori people. And although the islands were "discovered" by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, it was, in the end, colonized by the British. The Maori people, of course, resisted, but war was averted with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty outlined what the British government could and could not do, and emphasized that the ultimate owners of the land were the Maori people. Anyway, general admission is NZ$25. If you are an NZ resident or student, admission is NZ$15.

Within the treaty grounds is a Marae--a traditional Maori meeting place, a cross between a chapel and a social hall. It is a place of worship and social gathering. 

Maori men perform the Haka.

We were lucky enough to catch a Maori performance of the Haka at the treaty grounds. The Haka is the way Maori tribes greet their visitors. The performers look scary, shouting and  screaming like they're going to tear your head off with their own teeth, but the whole thing is supposed to be friendly. I actually still don't get it, but it was fascinating to watch.

Group photo at Rainbow Falls.

From the Treaty of Waitangi Grounds, we bid farewell to the Bay of Islands and travelled back to Auckland. On the way, we stopped by Rainbow Falls in Kerikeri.

Too bad, we didn't see any rainbow when we visited. Still, it's a nice waterfall--if waterfalls are your thing.

Afterwards, our group made its way to the Kawiti Glow Worm Cave in Kawakawa. The more famous glow worm caves are at Waitomo, but the Kawiti cave is allegedly better. Entrance is NZ$20/person.

Flash photography is strictly prohibited inside the cave and so I have no pictures to show, except for this group photo at the cave entrance. So you have to trust me when I say that the cave is home to thousands, if not millions, of glow worms. And when the flood lights are turned off, they do look like stars twinkling at night. 

Once you come out of the other end of the cave you have to hike back to the car park. On our way back we found silver ferns, a plant New Zealand is famous for. In fact, the silver fern is a national symbol and its image is found on many New Zealand products.

The glow worm cave was the final tourist stop for this road trip. From Kawakawa, I drove the van back to Auckland. I had driven more than 1,000 kilometers in a span of three days. Gabi na nga kami nakabalik ng Auckland. But we couldn't call it a day because before we could return the van, we had to clean it up first. Pero oks lang. Enjoy naman.

I can compare the Cape Reinga and Northland road trip in New Zealand to a similar road trip to Ilocos in the Philippines. You get to see a lot of things, like historical places and natural formations. And there are activities for almost everyone, from sand boarding to horseback riding; from swimming to island-hopping; from picnicking to wine tasting. If you're in Auckland and don't want to fly out to the south island, I really recommend this road trip to the north. Best when done with friends.

Enjoy New Zealand!



Thank you to Neeko Catalan, Giulia Soria and Lara Mula for the photos in this post.