Jan26 we drove to Taipa Beach Resort, about 90 km from Paihia.
We broke up the drive with two stops. The first was Haruru Falls, just a few minutes outside of Paihia.
It had rained a lot during the night and the falls were certainly roaring!
A bit further up the road, we hiked the Kerikeri River Track to Rainbow Falls. I keep talking about how beautifully maintained the trails are – and this one was no exception.
It started with a nice parking lot and restrooms, then great signage to make sure you know where you are going and how far.
The trail itself is either a board walkway or a nice gravel path. All along a rushing river with many birds and great foliage.
Then, when we arrived, there were great viewing platforms and areas to sit and rest. And the Rainbow Falls was amazing at 27 meters tall and tons of water rushing over every second. And, true to the name, the mist from the falls creates a rainbow whenever the sun is out.
If you want to watch a short video of the falls, here is a link.
To give some sense of scale, in the pic below, I drew a white line under an observation deck with several people visible, watching the falls.
After hiking back, we visited the ‘Mission House’ which is the oldest surviving building in NZ, built in 1822 for people associated with the Anglican Mission established there by Reverend Samuel Marsden.
They have a nice cafe and in the house and a gift shop in ‘The Stone House’ that was opened as a store in 1835 and has been in business ever since!
Then we completed our drive through lovely pastures, forests and along the coast, to come to the Taipa Beach Resort, one of the larger rooms we have had so far, with a kitchen, sitting room, and separate bedroom.
The hotel was across the street from a long beach which was great for a sunset stroll. Reasonably warm water and a nice breeze, a great place to end the day!
The next day we drove to Cape Reinga, the northern end of the North Island. There is a lighthouse on the hill and great views looking out at the Tasman Sea to the West and the Pacific Ocean to the North and East.
It was a short walk to the lighthouse and we wanted to take a longer hike, but we went to 3 different trails, only to find them closed for conservation work. There were amazing views along the way!
Cape Reinga has special significance for the Maori of the North Island. At the end of the cape is an old tree hanging over the water. The Maori believe that when a person dies, their spirit climbs this tree and leaps into the water to join the ancestors.
Just south of the cape, on the west coast, is “90 Mile Beach”, and unbroken expanse of sand that measures, yep, you guessed it, 90 miles long! It appears that all along the west coast of the North Island, the waves and currents push the sand north and it all ends up here and at the cape. Beautiful sunsets and a surfer’s paradise! We drove for miles on the beach and only got stuck once! 🙂