Jali's Journey: Northlands

We left the Bay of Islands and decided to bite the bullet and make a plan to head all the way to Cape Reinga - the uppermost Northern tip of New Zealand. After a brief visit to the lovely town of Katikati to post off some Christmas gifts and have lunch at the charming cafe near Stone Store (NZ's oldest building), we headed to the Kerikeri peninsular. Here we had one night at the DOC site overlooking a beautiful bay - it was our first experience of a Department of Conservation (DOC) site: much more basic with no power/luxury but fees are cheap and are located at natural beauty spots.

We hit the road the next morning for the long journey north, slightly unprepared. Fuel was running low and unbeknown to us the sparse northlands has limited amenities, especially petrol stations. We eventually limped into 'the last stop' fuel stop, Dougie gasping for diesel. Bad news - a powercut in the area meant no fuel until it was sorted out with no idea when this might be. The station gradually filled up with other campervans and travellers, all in the same predicament on their way to and from Cape Reinga. However, after a long lunch, the lights in the shop flickered on, signalling power had been restored and a fight for refuelling began.

20 minutes later, Cape Reinga was in our sights...or not as it turned out. We arrived in a cloud - heavy mist with almost zero visibility! A mythical sight famed for it's magnificent views from the lighthouse down towards the ocean where the Pacific meets the Atlantic. It was not to be, and so we left with other disappointed day trippers and headed to a nearby DOC site located at a bay at the bottom of a steep, windy track road - quite the hairy decent. But it was all worth it and a beautiful spot awaited us next to the crashing waves of the ocean. We could relax...

Or could we? The next morning, after a pancake breakfast, word was sent down to the camp that a tsunami warning had been issued for the area and we were to leave as soon as possible! Our fastest Dougie packup time yet found ourselves banished and back at the carpark of Cape Reinga, contemplating our misfortune/fortune and planning our next move. We spotted a break in the misty weather and decided on another walk to the Cape lighthouse. This time we were not disappointed and were treated to the stunning views down to the rocks and ocean in glorious sunshine before the mist and rain swiftly returned a short time later.

We decided to cut our losses and head back down southwards but not before befriending and sheltering some soddened Belgian backpackers, giving them a lift a few miles down the road back to where they had started their trek.

We ended up staying an unremarkable night at a site in Pukenui before heading onwards to the Hoik region. Stops at the historically preserved Kohukohu and a stay at Rawene (over the bay on the car ferry), have revealed what a calm and peaceful area we are currently in.