A Tipping Point

Yesterday I went on an 11-hour long tour. We went through the Ancient Kauri Forest (home to the only Kauri trees left in the world).

Then we continued to Cape Reinga ("REE-EN-GAH"), which is the very northern tip of NZ and is marked by a lighthouse. 

"The name of the cape comes from the Māori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'. Another Māori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld." 

Oh, it was amazing. And REALLY invigorating, standing there at the end of NZ, with only ocean in front of me... getting spooky in the warm fog...

The only thing better would have been...seeing 2 oceans in front of me! Cape Reinga also happens to be where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean! I never thought I'd see 2 oceans colliding before me, but there they were!!! Waves in the middle of nowhere, coming in from 2 different directions and crashing against each other.

It was a really, really amazing thing to see. Now you can picture me on your map on the tip of NZ, and know that for a little while I was a just little bit closer to home :)

Afterward we went sand-boarding down some very steep, hard to climb sand dunes. It was fun, but after going twice I realized it was no longer worth the climb.

Our tour "bus" was actually a truck, so we were able to take it off-road... unlike those other, inept "vehicles."

Just another poor soul meant for the leap off Cape Reinga. So we scaled the "90-mile beach," though I don't understand the name. (1) it is only 60 miles long (2) NZ uses km, not mi (3) it is a coastline, not a beach). They say Australia has an "80-mile beach," maybe the Kiwis just had to one-up the Aussies.

To finish the tour we picked some shellfish from the Tasman Sea (not sure what kind but its muscle tasted like abalone) and ate FRESH fish and chips.

But I am pretty tired of NZ's "chips," they always give you too many and wrap it in bulky, blank newspaper. That was my day, it went from 7am-6pm, was completely exhausting, and I came back a little sunburnt (whoops. the sun is 40% stronger here than back at home... which I knew but ignored  anyway to be a rebel). Also, I realized I had been staying in the dirtiest hostel around, so I moved next door this morning after deciding to extend my stay. Now I'm scheduled to stay in Paihia until Monday Dec. 7. Yay.

Leonie left this morning so I'm on my own again. No more tours and planned outings for a while... I'm just going to meet some locals and enjoy the simple (and cheap) life again. So if my blog gets a little quiet it's because I might be working...

...on my tan!! Well, eventually I will get off my butt.

...to tan the other side! :)YAY!