If I can mention at the outset what impression stayed in me from the next place, then I must admit that the only thing that ran through my mind was if we are still in New Zealand or not. If I was blindfolded on the way and you were brought me to the Giant Sand Dunes, my answer would be that we are currently in either the Arab Emirates, Qatar or Saudi Arabia. But I would definitely not mention New Zealand. And this is perhaps the unique thing that New Zealand has (compared to other countries in the world) – the diverse nature, which in some cases does not match at all…
Giant Sand Dunes
These sand dunes can boast a height of 150 meters in some parts, so it is no wonder that the most popular activity is the so-called sandboarding (surfing on the sand).
Te Paki was once an island and was disconnected from the mainland. For millions of years, sand has formed due to volcanic activity in New Zealand, creating dunes as a result.
Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua
Cape Reinga is the northwestern tip of the Aupouri Peninsula at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand (more than 100 km north of the nearest small town Kaitaia).
The name “Te Rerenga Wairua” means in Maori the so-called drought leap site ‘Reinga’ means the underworld. Both names refer to the Maori faith – the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.
Cape Reinga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, awaiting UNESCO World Heritage status. The cape is also famous for meeting the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Maori refer to this encounter as Te Moan-a-Rehu’s meeting with Te Tai-o-Whitirea (Rehua and Whitirea as man and woman). People are still mistaken for the northernmost point of New Zealand, but actually the Surville Cliffs (30km east of Cape Reinga) are still 3km north.
Another cape to the west is Cape Maria van Diemen, which was named by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman during his trip in 1642 and considered it the northernmost point of the newly discovered land. He named a new land as “Staten Landt”.
With a clear conscience, I can confirm the beauty of this place. Definitely worth coming here despite the fact that the journey is really but really long!
Although mistakenly marked, but for us, the northernmost point in New Zealand is behind us and we are slowly returning.
In the next article, you can look forward to a visit to the waterfalls, we visited the town, which boasts the oldest stone building in New Zealand, and we arrived in Waitangi, where the “Declaration of Independence” was signed.
