Day Two: The Bay of Islands

When I thought the pervious day’s wake-up time was brutal, the 6:30am wake-up time on our second day in the Bay of Islands was near murder. But who were we to argue with? We were on a three day trip through paradise with nearly all expenses paid by Loyola.

Main event of the day, our 4x4 bus tour. Ours is the smaller one in the back. The beach is treated like a highway at low tide.

The day started out with a morning breakfast buffet at the nearby Peppercorn restaurant. Now everyone knows a breakfast buffet can be a tricky thing. You might show up and be completely disappointed because the mass-produced scrambled eggs are the consistency of rubber, and the bacon is dripping with grease so badly that there is a waiver you have to sign because the risk of an instant heart-attack. OR, if you’re lucky, you might find something that remotely resembles food. Once again, I was blown away by the quality of food on the trip thus far. The buffet breakfast was not only edible, but enjoyable! Croissants, fresh fruit, toast, eggs, Canadian (or New Zealand?) bacon, OJ, and these little apple filled pastries that I swear were made in heaven by God’s own hands. Needless to say, I like food- especially food made in heaven.

Standing still in the wind for this picture proved to rather difficult. It was so strong that on the muddy parts of the trail the wind would slide you sideways across the trail.

The main event of the day was an 8 hour 4x4 bus tour that headed to the most northern piece of land in New Zealand, Cape Reigna. Our first stop however was at the Manginangina forest. While essentially a fifteen minute stretch break, we managed to take a quick stroll through this ancient forest which sported the giant kauri trees. These botanical behemoths can grow to up 50 meter tall and live over 1000 years.

The Lighthouse at Cape Reigna, where the Tasman and the Pacific meet.

We jumped back on our bus and continued north, and after hitting a café for a potty break, driving over treacherous dirt roads and looking at the hills where the jolly green giant must have been born, we arrived at Cape Reigna. After trekking down a path in 40 mph wind (I had to lean into the wind at a seemingly 45-degree angle just to stay on my feet) I arrived at the most northern point of New Zealand. The Maori tribes believe that when they die, their souls travel over Aotearoa (translated “Land of the Long White Cloud”) to Cape Reigna where their spirit leaves New Zealand to their final meeting place in the after life. Though the day was glum, the intense wind pushing us around like chess pieces made for an unforgettable experience.

The rest of the day included a quick stop for a swim in a watering hole and a drive back along 90-mile beach. The beach is actually only 55-miles, and why they used miles when naming it beats me. Either way, it’s treated as a regular highway where cars will drive up to 100kph on it. We were told that in the busy winter months, when the sand is a little more firm, there are often police that patrol the beach for speeders.

The day once again ended with a drink at the local pub and sleep before another early morning.