Road Trip to the Northland

Only my third day in New Zealand and there I was setting off on a road trip. We would be spending just over one week travelling, then returning to Auckland so I could fulfill my commitment to volunteer at a triathlon event.

Our first stop was just a forty minute drive from the hostel, Piha beach. An amazingly picturesque area, black sand created from volcanic ash with rock formations segmenting the beach into two parts. Fully enjoying the concept of not rushing, of having more than enough time for our trip round the Northland, we spent a few hours on the beach before heading back on the road.

We didn’t end up very far north that evening as we stopped so frequently to take pictures of breath taking surroundings. Every turn in the road seemed to present a new set of rolling green hills, as the sun set the tinted sky adding an amazing backdrop.

Neither of us had a plan on where we should stay that evening and stopping in a lay by to eat dinner and watch the sunset, we decided to stay right where we were, looking forward to the amazing landscape views the following morning.

We were up early and on the way to Whangarei (which I have been told is a Maori word and is actually pronounced Fangarei). After a brief stop for internet, coffee and charging points in the information centre, we headed to the edge of the town for a little amateur caving.

Abbey caves is a small group of caves dotted around a reserve. The reserve itself was beautiful, rocks and boulders scattered throughout the green expanse, some of the trees interestingly decorated with moss instead of leaves. We visited two of the caves whilst there, involving a mixture of scrambling, climbing and at parts, wading in ankle deep water. We were rewarded with the glittering sight of glow worms on the lightless roofs.

The following day was my first mountain climbing experience in New Zealand. Not the biggest effort, taking only forty minutes to reach the top and largely up sets of stairs built into the ground, but we were rewarded with a brilliant 360 view of our surroundings. It was here I saw the first of many of the famous silver leaf ferns.

Poor Knights Island, an island just off the coast of Whangarei, is said to be the best dive spot in New Zealand, so of course it was definitely on my to do list. It turned out to be an experience that did not disappoint. The marine life was completely different from anything I had seen previously, being a cold water rather than a tropical environment. There was no reef to be seen, instead a huge yellowy green leafy garden providing the bulk of the plant life.

During this trip I was given the joy of seeing two very unique caves. The first, Rico Rico, being the largest known sea cave by volume in the world. Our skipper took the boat into the huge rock formation, pointing out the mossy green growth on the roof which is able to survive from the reflection of sunlight on the sea below. It was incredible to hear the way these plants have been able to adapt and survive in such surroundings.

The second cave was visited during my second dive of the day. After descending into the water we were taken along a rock wall and then, following our guide’s lead, began to ascend. Reaching the roof, we were able to take out our regulators (the mouth piece), breath in air and speak to each other. The exciting part was that we were still 9m below sea level at this point, in an air pocket that had somehow been created at the highest point.

Having ticked the best dive spot off the list, the next ‘must do’ item was to visit the most northern point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. We travelled up here the day after diving and were not disappointed with the view. Leading to the most northern point we drove along a winding country road, hills to the left being orange, yellow and green in colour. A mixture of rock, sand and grass, the vibrant colours remnants of volcanic activity.

The last part of the journey was to be done on foot, moving into ground seen as sacred by Maori tribes. This was the point where souls of the dead would be set free. The route took us down to a lighthouse, which overlooked the clashing of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. We were there a day before a cyclone was due to hit New Zealand and an eclectic weather system was a stark reminder of this. Just as I reached the lighthouse point my view was completely dampened to within a metre or two, white mist and diagonal rain surrounding me. Less than five minutes later blue sky began to reappear and I was able to watch as the mist cloud moved towards the land mass behind me. I was then once again faced with an endless horizon of blue ocean and blue sky.

We spent the next day in a small town called Keri Keri, famous for housing the oldest stone building in New Zealand. After a quick walk and viewing of said building, the rest of the day was spent hiding in a coffee shop from the constant wind and rain of the impending cyclone.

As it turned out, the warnings of the storm were much more severe than the cyclone itself and we continued our journey the following day, heading for the Bay of Islands tourist town of Paihia. Despite morning cloud we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day, perfect for the six hour walking loop we had chosen to undertake. This route took us along a coastal path, through forests, two small towns, on a vehicle taxi boat and finally on a boat back to Paihia. We saw such a diverse range of plant life along the way, it really was quite incredible so many varieties could grow in the same climate.

On the final full day of our little adventure I woke to the sun rising over hills, water lapping gently in the cove between them and the van. Rewarding ourselves with a hot shower at a nearby camp ground, we headed off clean and fresh to the Kauri forest, home to the largest Kauri trees in New Zealand. A must see sight for sure, though on the way there I did wonder if this was purely a tourist trap, built up by the hype and not really that impressive. Well I needn’t have bothered. The two biggest trees were absolutely epic in proportion, without a doubt the biggest I have ever seen and mighty old at 1500 years.

So barely two weeks into my New Zealand adventure I had managed to see the most northern point of the country, the best dive site, seen the biggest trees and the famous silver ferns and have ticked travelling in a campervan off my bucket list. Not a bad start for sure!