What An Awesome Day !

I booked a tour to Cape Reinga today. This is one of the must-see places located at the northern tip of NZ.

OK, a little bit of facts and history here. Cape Reinga is the colliding point of Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean. Tasman Sea is named after Abel Tasman - the first European who discovered NZ while Pacific Ocean was named by Ferdinand Magellan to mean 'peace'. According to Maori mythology, spirits of their ancestors travel to the tip of Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife in the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. At Cape Reinga, they depart this world by leaping off an 800 years old Pohutukawa tree on the cape.

The tour bus travelled on the 90-mile beach and we stopped at Giant Te Paki sand dunes for sand boarding. The walk to the top was gruelling but it was all worth it when sliding down. An absolute must-try adventure in NZ! Just make sure you have spare change of clothes cos' I didn't have any and landed on water, got wet and had sand all over.

On they way home, we stopped for late lunch at the world famous Mangonui Fish Shop. Nothing special, though. The F&C on Waiheke Island tastes better.

Pictures: (1) Getting ready to climb up the sand dunes; (2) At the top of the dunes; (3) With sand all over me after the descend; (4) With fellow back-packers (L-R) Anne, Jaime, Ryan & Matt; (5) Cape Reinga & (6) Late lunch at the Mangonui Fish Shop.