Yoo 449 - NZ...Northland Bus Tour, Pt 1

I really didn't want to break this into two posts...but I can't decide between pictures and I don't have the vigor to upload 40 photos at once.

Soooo....onward.

Paihia was our home base for seeing Northland. Aptly named because it's the very northernest chunk of the north island. See how that works? I fell in love with this part of New Zealand too. Surprise. It's country and farms and beach and sail boats. Laid back, simple, sunshine.

We found quite the bargain in an all-day $50 bus tour that drove us to all the main sights with a local narrating the route.

"And over here we have the remains of a town where one man was the hotel owner, postmaster, bartender, sheriff, and judge. He had quite the hook up."

Lunch on the beach. Cape Reinga. Kauri Kingdom. Ninety-mile beach. Sand tobaggoning the giant dunes.

And we could both nap between stops!

Normally I stray away from tour groups, and I did feel slightly like a cow being herded, but short of renting a 4-wheel drive vehicle, it's the only way to drive 90-mile beach and get to the giant sand dunes. Worth it to join the crowds for a day.

^^ boy's getting skillz, greggers caught this sunrise at the campsite

 ^^ king gregory the ?? found his throne at the kauri kingdom, never mind that i had to obviously blur part of the image so you couldn't see half-way down his shorts...we'll work on posing next time

 ^^ it was only $9,750 NZD, but think 16% off for USD and it's practically a steal...

 ^^ as if he needs any help looking like a giant...

 ^^ as if i need any help looking crazy...

 ^^ sand swirls

 ^^ meeting of the pacific ocean and tasman sea

 ^^ where to go next...

 ^^ maori mythology believes this is where the dead spirits jump off into the afterlife

 ^^ the trailhead for te araroa, the track that traverses across the entirety of both islands. what a dream and adventure that would be to complete it!

Have a great day :-)