Driving to the Cape
- Jan 4, 2017
- 3 min read
Location:
Cape Regina & Kaitaia
I will tell you something for nothing, we are loving having a car. If I had known what a great companion it makes to any trip, I would have gotten one sooner. Another little road trip, this time to New Zealand’s most north westernmost point, ‘Cape Regina.’ I am enjoying our little road trips. The landscape is just incredible. So, beautiful. Along the way, we stopped off at ‘Cable Bay’ for a nice stretch and a bit of fuel for the old bodies!
We wanted to get to the campsite, the famous ‘Wagener Holiday Park’ early so we could have everything set up when we arrived back late after our visit to the Cape. The campsite is a lot more crammed than what we are used to, but we got a perfect site next overlooking the ‘Houhora Heads.’ I can see why this area has been so popular over the years with Kiwis and their families. It would have been nice if we had the opportunity to enjoy the nice water. Oh, well, at least we found yet another nice place to sleep!
On our way, up to the Cape, we stopped off at ‘Rarawa Beach.’ It was recommended to me by one of the locals. When a local gives you a recommendation, you’re not going to refuse their wise advice. Just as we turned onto the dirt road up to the beach, a little pebble struck the cars windscreen, leaving a little crack behind. Just our luck. After that, this beach better be worth it, and it most certainly was. Such a short time here is no good. I would have loved to have spent at least a few hours here. It is up there with the nicest beaches we have visited.
Along the way, we had a couple of more nice stops to break up the journey. We briefly stopped off at the ‘Paua Station’ as I wanted to soak in the beautiful countryside and all the benefits it has to offer. Further up the coast, we stopped again at the ‘Te Paki Giant Dunes’ which really do live up to their name! From there we made another brief stop, this time at the ‘Pandora Track’ for more nice views!
After quite a nice road trip, we found ourselves at the very top of New Zealand in the sacred ‘Cape Regina,’ which has significant importance as it is where to the ‘Tasman Sea’ meets the ‘Pacific Ocean.’ As the two meet, there are constant swirls of water as the two meet which is quite interesting to watch. There is a little bit of walk to the cape from the carpark, but it is worth it. As you walk around the corner, you are greeted by the most amazing picture of the famous cape and its most recognised symbol, the light house. We were lucky to be able to enjoy an incredible sunset. It was one of the nicest I have ever seen. Watching the sun go down at the horizon with nothing obstructing it, is something I don’t think I have ever witnessed before, and what a sight it was. As Jason got bored hanging around, I decided to stay a little bit longer so I could take some night shots of the lighthouse and the famous cape.
We couldn’t leave New Zealand, without visiting Cape Regina. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to drive along the coast ourselves. It was a lot of driving for poor Jason as we didn’t start driving back down until late, and we faced a bit of a journey back to the campsite for the night, before getting up early to make our way back to ‘The Bay of Islands!’ There is something nice about spending a bit of time at the country’s most north westernmost tip!
By Andrew
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