New-Zealand: Cape Reinga rules!

After a 5-hour flight from Dili, we arrived at Auckland, New Zealand.

At the airport the customs checked our file; to check whether we had no intention of staying there (checked our return ticket and whether we had sufficient money available to fund our trip).

After the exhibition we had two days off so we did some sightseeing and it was marvellous! Let me tell you all about it:

Did you know Auckland has 50 volcanos? But last eruption was about 600 years ago. So don’t worry J.

The Auckland Volcanic Field is an area of about 360 km2 centered on Auckland city; within this field are over 50 separate volcanoes. At 196 meters high, Mount Eden is the highest of the Auckland volcanoes. Volcanoes in Auckland include small cones less than 150 m in height and explosion craters. We visited Mount Eden and had a terrific view of Auckland city and the crate.

At the picture, you’ll notice the Sky Tower.

After that, we went to Viaduct harbour, which is located in the heart of Auckland city. The marina caters to commercial vessels, pleasure craft and super yachts with 150 marina quays up to 60 meters. We also visited the Voyager Maritime Museum and discovered New Zealand’s rich maritime history.

We had dinner at Jones the Grocerhttp://www.jonesthegrocer.com/. It’s a restaurant chain in New-Zealand & Australia. The place has a reputation as the market leader for gourmet food. The artisanal cheese I ate was the best I’ve ever had!

At night we visited the Sky Tower, which is the newest symbol of the city. With its 328 meters, it’s the tallest man-made building in New Zealand.

It was amazing. Not only a tower but the building also has a casino, hotels (Sky city hotel and Sky city Grand hotel), bars, restaurants, .. The building has a concrete shaft measuring 12 m in diameter and consists of 15.000 m3 of concrete! Quite safe it seems ;-)

You could even go for adventure and take a Skywalk (and walk around the pergola at 192 meters up) or have a Sky Jump off the Tower!

I preferred a less adventurous visit and chose a 360° views panoramic sights at 220 m height.

It offered us breath-taking views for up to 80 kilometres.

We had a drink in the bar and I bought a present at the souvenir shop for my son, a little Sky Tower J

The tower is lightened in several colours, depending on the current events;

E.g. blue in September (blue September), red & gold for the Chinese new year, pink (breast cancer awareness month),..

The next day, we had a five hour drive on a bus to discover a magical place: Cape Reinga!

Cape Reinga is situated in the far north (the most northern place you can visit in New-Zealand).

On our way we saw several native Kauri trees (see picture). The Tane Mahuta (in the Waipoua Forest) is the country's largest kauri tree, which is approximately 2,000 years old and is still growing.

Nearly 18 meters to the first branch and 4.4 meters in diameter, it is rightly called 'The Lord of the Forest'.

The tree is a remnant of the ancient subtropical rainforest that once grew on the North Auckland Peninsula.

It was dug for its gum which is a fossilized resin detracted from the tree. It was used for chewing or tattooing (used by the Maori’s), .. It used to be an established industry at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries and was a major source of income for Māori and settlers in Northland. The chasers were called “gum diggers”.

We stopped at the Doubtless bay (aka Mangonui) and had cray-fish at Mangonu fish shop.

The bay has a rich history: it has been discovered by the Maori’s, captain Cook (who gave the place its name), Jean-François Marie De Surville,..

Our last halt was Houhore Heads where the family Wagener exposes a museum, although not that special to me (pioneer stuff, natural history, Maori objects, shells, Kauri gum, Katipo spider,..) Luckily the spider was dead because it is the only poisonous spider in New-Zealand! They also have a backpacker’s hostel, a camping ground & motor camp, so a lot of people who come up to the north have a stop over there.

To reach Cape Reinga we had to cross the ninety mile beach. Luckily we came by bus, because it would have been impossible to cross by car (the assurances of a rental car exclude riding over beach and it certainly takes a 4wheel drive). The beach is enormous and reaches as far as you can see.

The last kilometres we had to go through the private The Paki Farm park (owned by the Maori’s) and then we arrived in Cape Reinga with it has a 10 meters- high lighthouse and mostly its unspoiled nature.

The Maori believe that Cape Reinga is the point where souls of deaths leave New-Zealand to Hawaiki. According to the legend, the souls cross the ninety mile beach and then cross the river. The souls who aren’t strong enough to drink of the river, die forever.

The Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean clash to create unsettled waters just off the coast.

It was marvellous!