Where in the world are Ethan and Siena? Although New Zealand is roughly the size Colorado, it is long and thin. The North Island is over 800 kilometers long, and the roads hu
g the coasts, snaking around bays and hair-pinning their way up and down mountains, making the drive almost double in length. It is too far to go to the end without a very long drive: at least 3 hours each way from where we are in the Bay of Islands, more time than we are willing to spend in the car. Our dilemma of wanting to see the entire island and the reality that we don’t have the time is unexpectedly solved. We have an especially special day when my parents splurge on a surprise for us. We go by single engine plane 
up the peninsula that juts furthest north on the north island of New Zealand. This is a holy site for the Maori, where the souls of the dying leave the earth. The tree on the right side of the rock is supposed to be 800 years old, and the individual, aware of their imminent departure, sit underneath the tree, sliding into the ocean when their time has come. The kids are standing on Cape Rienga. If you look behind them, you can see the waves from the Pacific angling in from the right meeting the waves from the Tasman Sea on the left. It is a spectacularly beautiful spot, not to mention the plane rides in both directions on a magnificent day.
There are 250-meter tall beautiful sand dunes near the Cape. They change dramatically, even from day to day. To reach the dunes, we ride in a
4 X 4 bus through a riverbed. The river is flowing and our driver warns us he cannot slow down, and absolutely not stop
as the base of the river is quick sand. After brief inactivity, the bus will be stuck. In 4 hours, the vehicle will vanish from sight, reappearing in 6 years on the adjacent beach. We are shown pictures of a car that has recently emerged on the beach. With only 2 months left on the trip, we can’t wait that long. But our driver drives like the wind through the creek so it is not to get “quicksanded”(a new verb) We are thrilled to go sledding on the steep sand dunes, straight down the fall line. As we see the river rapidly approaching, we dig are hands in the sand to slow our descent so as to prevent our entering the water. Kim, ever pushing the boundaries, gets his feet wet. The river used to be the main “road” connecting this area with the rest of the island. It still has a state road designation!
The west side of the long cape is lined with a wide beach. Stretching for 64 miles,
the Kiwis have wisely named it the 90 mile beach. We are told that Australia has a 90 mile beach, so New Zealand needed one, too, to keep up with the Joneses, I guess. We watch tour buses driving on the beach, right at the water’s edge. Fishing here is excellent, but hazardous. Many people have been swept out to sea by the unpredictable waves. The strong riptide and large number of great white sharks makes getting out difficult. We are glad to be looking at this gorgeous beach from 1000’.
We’ve had a marvelous time in this beautiful country with friendly people. I think if it weren’t so far from our families we would seriously consider moving here some day. In fact, Siena teased Kim that we were lucky there were no houses with for sale signs in one town he particularly fell in love with.
g the coasts, snaking around bays and hair-pinning their way up and down mountains, making the drive almost double in length. It is too far to go to the end without a very long drive: at least 3 hours each way from where we are in the Bay of Islands, more time than we are willing to spend in the car. Our dilemma of wanting to see the entire island and the reality that we don’t have the time is unexpectedly solved. We have an especially special day when my parents splurge on a surprise for us. We go by single engine plane 
up the peninsula that juts furthest north on the north island of New Zealand. This is a holy site for the Maori, where the souls of the dying leave the earth. The tree on the right side of the rock is supposed to be 800 years old, and the individual, aware of their imminent departure, sit underneath the tree, sliding into the ocean when their time has come. The kids are standing on Cape Rienga. If you look behind them, you can see the waves from the Pacific angling in from the right meeting the waves from the Tasman Sea on the left. It is a spectacularly beautiful spot, not to mention the plane rides in both directions on a magnificent day.There are 250-meter tall beautiful sand dunes near the Cape. They change dramatically, even from day to day. To reach the dunes, we ride in a
4 X 4 bus through a riverbed. The river is flowing and our driver warns us he cannot slow down, and absolutely not stop
as the base of the river is quick sand. After brief inactivity, the bus will be stuck. In 4 hours, the vehicle will vanish from sight, reappearing in 6 years on the adjacent beach. We are shown pictures of a car that has recently emerged on the beach. With only 2 months left on the trip, we can’t wait that long. But our driver drives like the wind through the creek so it is not to get “quicksanded”(a new verb) We are thrilled to go sledding on the steep sand dunes, straight down the fall line. As we see the river rapidly approaching, we dig are hands in the sand to slow our descent so as to prevent our entering the water. Kim, ever pushing the boundaries, gets his feet wet. The river used to be the main “road” connecting this area with the rest of the island. It still has a state road designation!The west side of the long cape is lined with a wide beach. Stretching for 64 miles,
the Kiwis have wisely named it the 90 mile beach. We are told that Australia has a 90 mile beach, so New Zealand needed one, too, to keep up with the Joneses, I guess. We watch tour buses driving on the beach, right at the water’s edge. Fishing here is excellent, but hazardous. Many people have been swept out to sea by the unpredictable waves. The strong riptide and large number of great white sharks makes getting out difficult. We are glad to be looking at this gorgeous beach from 1000’.We’ve had a marvelous time in this beautiful country with friendly people. I think if it weren’t so far from our families we would seriously consider moving here some day. In fact, Siena teased Kim that we were lucky there were no houses with for sale signs in one town he particularly fell in love with.
A last note on the food here: the seafood and the lamb are excellent, the rest is very British. If you like pies (meat, sausage, shepherd's, etc), and fish and chips, the food is great. If not, come for the scenery, not the food!
Cheers, with the wonderful reds they make in Hawke’s Bay!
The Beattie Clan
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