Sand Travelling

We opted to visit the Northerly tip of New Zealand by bus so that we could benefit fully from driving along this so called Ninty Mile Beach. It is not advisable to take your car along the beach highway and there are sobering pictures of disappearing cars in the sand to ensure you that you have made the right decision. This was our transport for the day.

I even have a rare picture of myself stood on an apparently deserted Ninty Mile Beach.

Alas this is not quite the case!

You do however as you drive down have a feeling of expanse and emptiness. We were overtaken by the occasional intrepid 4 X 4.

There was even the occasional walker. It takes 3 days to walk the whole length.

We travelled for some 70 kilometres up the beach before turning along a creek for a little sand tobogganing. We chose to be spectators.

Our driver for the day Robin seen here on the left was the inevitable joker. Fortunately he was very good at laughing at his own jokes.

Amongst other stories he told us that two people had recently be flown out by air ambulance. The trouble is it was impossible to tell when he was joking or not.

We stopped at a small cove for lunch approached by a hair raising drive down a twisty road. Tapotupotu Bay was an ideal picnic location.

There is more to tell but this may have to wait for another day!