Having arrived late at night, we weren’t able to appreciate the amazing scenery at Spirits Bay until the morning. Although this was the most basic campsite so far, it was certainly the best location. After a short walk along the beach, we drove west for just under an hour to Cape Reinga, considered to be the most northern tip of the North Island. The Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean also meet at this point, which is very significant for the Mauri people.

Just south of Cape Reinga are the Giant Te Paki Sand Dunes, which are not only impressive to look at, but also great fun for sand boarding on! We hired two body boards and spent over an hour going up and down the dunes. We stopped for lunch on part of the continuous ninety mile beach that spans the west coast, and then started heading east along State Highway 10 towards the Bay of Islands and the town of Paihia, our next stopping point. For the next couple of nights we’ll be staying in The Bay of Islands Campervan Park, just 15 minutes walk from the centre of Paihia.