Sand Surfing and Cape Reigna

During the last two weeks of our time in New Zealand we drove a LOT of hours. The roads are uncrowded, but narrow and windy, and it always takes longer to get somewhere than we thought it would. There was a lot of car sickness, and some moments of get-me-out-of-here, but these were the views:

Did you know there are far more sheep in New Zealand than people? Endless fields of sheep.

Just plain endless fields.

The view was NEVER boring or dull.

We made it to Te Paki to do some sand surfing on enormous and expansive dunes right on the sea. We rented some body boards right off the parking area and made our way to the many sizes of hills.

As we looked back on the parking area, I couldn't help but take a picture of the dusty rose grasses that are all over this time of year. Against the greens they are SOOOO gorgeous! The picture doesn't do it justice, but I can see it in my memory!

The largest hill was called Psycho Hill (I think!), and for good reason. It was tall and steep. All of us needed a little warming up before attempting that scariness, except Ceci. She sped right to the top and zoomed down! She's crazy like that.

Here is a view from the top. Can you see her waving?

We made our way to some smaller dunes. As we got to the top we could see the Tasman Sea. It was very windy. Not so fun on sand dunes, but it made for beautiful designs.

To say we got a bit sandy is an understatement! We were pulling it out of our hair and ears and noses for days!

Here is a view of the sea from the top. It was so windy we had to strategically hold on to our boards so as not to blow away!

We finally made our way back to Psycho Hill and did some super fun runs. I have to say that I like snow sledding with snow blowing in my face better than sand!

We drove the remote road to Cape Reinga, the northernmost top of New Zealand, (second, really, but it sure looks like the tippy top on a map.)

This is the point where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. The Maori legend has it that it is where the male (Maori name that is long) meets the female (another Maori name that is really long.) It was beautiful and powerful to see the waves hit each other. Another hard to capture scene.

The point is where the Maori believe that the spirit comes after death before heading to its eternal home.

And a perfect lighthouse.

We made the long drive to Mangonui, arriving in the late evening, where we had booked an adorable, historical room at Mangonui Waterfront Apartments. This was an in-and-out night, but we wished we had more time at this little spot. Not only was our apartment adorable and comfortable, but the road hugged the water and the town was so small and inviting.

While the sand dunes and cape were awesome, I'm still wondering if it was worth all the driving...