Position 34 26.238S  172 42.968E

Lovely campsite at Matauri Bay but expensive and we had to sleep on an incline … not happy! There’s a 10 minute walk you can do up a bluff next to the campsite where there is a memorial to Rainbow Warrior.  She was brought and scuttled just off the coast from here, now one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 dive sites!  View from our campsite and of the Bay way up the hill.

And so it was off to the top end of NZ.  Drove to Cape Reinga which is at the western end of the Aupouri peninsula – the top of the north island.  The peninsula stretches about 100 odd kilometres.  Its long and thin.  On the western side is ninety mile beach – nearer to 90 kilometre beach though – lined with huge sand dunes.  Some views along the way.  Rolling sand dune covered farming grasslands. The sand dunes are way off into the distance.

More rolling hills.  On the right is beach facing east not west.  This is the purest silica deposit in the world – so it says on the map.  Very white beach anyway.

Dunes a bit more visible.

We went straight to the DoC campsite at Tapotupotu Bay  Fantastic little bay. View from out pitch and what about this pohutukawa in bloom.

There are several – realy long – walks you can do from here.  We stuck to the flat and wander along the beach at the north end and over mangroves ot the south end.  180 of Tapotupotu bay.

Paul estimates cost of caravan repair.

View from north end of the bay.

Paul feingning major interest in rock pool so that I will join him!

The NZ doderel.  Rare because of loss of habitat.

Down the other end of the beach the footpath led through mangroves and up the headland.  Never seen this before.  Water really clear and the water in the main stream very deep.  The mangroves have captured the sand/mud and increased the depth of the bank.  The dark brown line is the roots sticking out into the main channel, you can just about see them in RH shot.

Mangroves are in fruit at the moment as well.

I hope I’m scratching my nose here.