Farther then North

Yes, there is such a place and we went to visit it over the long Easter weekend. Staying at the small town of Opononi, composed of one small grocery store, one hotel/restaurant, one takeaway fish stand, and a few motels, it’s most memorable attribute is a stone memorial to Opo, the friendly dolphin that took up residence in the wharf in the 1950s. Only an hour south from the takeoff point for the Northlands of New Zealand, we thought it would be a great central place to stay and play. However, we spent little time in this sleepy town as we underestimated traffic and driving times to get to our desired destinations. Seven hours in the car (we estimated four and a half) did not put us in a jovial mood to start the adventure, but we still managed to break towards the end of the initial journey to visit Tane Mahuta, the largest kauri tree in New Zealand standing at 51 meters tall. By Saturday morning we were feeling a little more rested and ventured for a short bush walk through the giant Kauri forests, ending with a visit to the local wooden puzzle maker. We took the afternoon to drive 90 minutes across the peninsula to Kerikeri, one of the oldest townships in the Northlands where some of the original structures, the Stone Store and Heritage House (visited on a prior trip), still stand. Meaning “to dig”, Kerikeri was home to Maori kumara fields long before the Europeans arrived. With its futile soil, the area remains home to many orchards and now wineries. We perused the various craft stores and provided great monetary assistance to the local economy, finishing with a meal at the local winery. Sunday, we took the big plunge and drove up to the “Far North” of New Zealand to visit Cape Reinga, the drop off point for the top of the country. Beautifully sunny, we shared the experience of looking over the edge of the cliff with about two hundred other tourists. Despite its frequent visitation, they still haven’t managed to pave the last 20 kilometers of road, leaving our car coated in a fine layer of lime dust. With a side trip out to Ninety Mile Beach on the way back down to play in the surf and watch the cars travelling at incredible speeds up and down the hard-packed sand, we ended our day eating the last of the fish and chips from the takeaway stand on the porch of our little motel unit. With plenty of car time behind us, we rested up and refreshed with a morning run, just in time to hop in the car for the six hour drive home.