Monday Feb 20th Temp. 25 Paihia

 Today we decided to drive to the northern most tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. Before the long drive north we stopped at some lovely waterfalls, close to Paihia, Haruru Falls. A short walk from the carpark led us to some very pretty, fast flowing waterfalls. From here we headed north travelling through fertile and attractive country that reminded us both of the Atherton Tablelands in Australia. Certainly the climate is very similar and they grow similar crops of vegetables and berries. We saw vines and large areas of avocados growing too. Moving further north there were many cattle/dairy cows and many, many sheep! The scenery was beautiful and once we arrived at the Cape Reinga Lighthouse it continued to impress us. Here the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meet. You could see a line of swell where the two bodies of water met and it did look a little like a washing machine. You certainly wouldn’t want to be out there in a boat! After an invigorating walk to the lighthouse and a climb back up, we enjoyed a picnic lunch before returning to Paihia.

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