A twisted sense of humour, a massive whirlpool, and Kiwi toboggans.
After driving ~7 hours today, I have reached one conclusion:
Kiwis abhor straight roads. Even where it seemed possible they weren’t.
The kicker? The posted speed limit is impossible to maintain…unless one is young, dumb and on a motorcycle.
I could almost hear the Kiwi civil engineers laughing. I have no doubt they save a fortune by not policing the highways. There is no need.
These twisted pranksters have my undying admiration.
We did reach our destination – The Cape Reinga Lighthouse on sacred Maori ground at the northern tip of New Zealand:
It was a 1 km walk down a steep hill from the car park. What goes down must go back up. 😑 Happy wife.The light first shone in May 1941, replacing the original 1879 lighthouse. It’s still working today.Vancouver: 11222 km thataway! The gods were with me this day: Bernie did not want to trek down to the beach.The Maori call this point “Te Reinga”. The place where the spirits of the departed enter the underworld.The waves coming in from the left are from the Tasman Sea. Opposing them are waves from the Pacific. There is a permanent whirlpool where they meet, right in the middle. I imagine it is avoided.
Then it was onward to the GIANT sand dunes at Te Paki Stream, south and west of Cape Reinga.
Impressive to say the least. They are also fabulous acoustic reflectors. One can hear the screams of the “barely sane” from almost anywhere (turn up the volume).The “barely sane” ride Kiwi toboggans.
We finished our trip 9+ hours after leaving Waitangi. Now in Ōmāpere on the west coast.
4 responses to “A twisted sense of humour, a massive whirlpool, and Kiwi toboggans.”
Shelley
I loved the waves, Fascinating!
When in University I worked at Reversing Falls in Saint John, NB. It is where the high tide from the Bay of Fundy would meet the Saint John River. In low tide there would be fast rapids. In slack tide the river would be still (only time the boats could pass). In high tide the river would flow the opposite direction. Isn’t Mother Nature wonderful!
63 and free 
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