Bus Tour

The bus arrived and it was full as advertised. A huge group of Japanese tourists boarded after Darren and I. Throughout the trip, the children of the group insisted on closing the curtains on their windows, which led to everyone on the left side if the bus to miss a few noteworthy landmarks. They eventually opened them.

The bus took us up north, first stop was the Ancient Kauri Kingdom, where we viewed massive kauri logs and stumps that had been extracted from from a local swampland. On th way we passed by a pine tree plantation. The second largest man made forest in the southern hemisphere. The bus stopped and we had lunch and a quick dip on Rarawa Beach. A beach with amazing white silica sands on a beautiful bay. We continued on to Cape Reinga, where there is a fancy lighthouse and amazing oceanic views. It overlooks the meeting place of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. You can actually see where the two meet. it's eerie. Huge whirlpools and angry waves crashing against each other creating a violent seam.

After leaving Cape Reinga the bus drove us through the Te Paki stream, which is essentially quick sand. Before pulling onto the 90 mile beach, we stopped at a steep dune and did some sand tobogganing. After that brief stop we continued on to the 90 mile beach. Not sure why its called that. I think it is actually only about 60 miles long. It must look better on a brochure that way. This beach is pretty surreal. Totally flat, no driftwood, practically straight further that the eye can see, and you're driving parallel to the ocean at 100kmh. The Canadian women sitting behind me couldn't get over it. She kept laugh/yelling, "Look at that! We are driving on the beach, eh!" As cool as it was, after 20 miles it looks like the DJ put the scenery on repeat and you fall asleep due to the hum of the engine and the crashing of the waves.

Throughout the tour, Darren had been talking to these two girls who were sitting behind us on the bus. By the end, Darnie and the American girl she was hosting, McKenzie, had invited us to go fishing for pipi(clam family) in Taipa. We got there just as the sun was setting. You get as deep as your knees in the river and dig your hand into the sand and feel around for these guys. Or 150 of them. That is the limit per person, per day. After that I went back to the hostel and crashed.