Cape Reinga & 90-Mile Beach

Resumed my trek and headed to the northern-most point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga - one of those places you because it's there.  This is where the Tasman meets the Pacific.  Steep cliffs rise from rocky beaches and the wind blows hard enough to keep your balance on guard.  If you look closely at this picture, you can actually see the line where the two different color waters meet.

From there, the return trip is down the west coast on "90-mile beach," which is exactly what it sounds like - an extremely long (actually 84 km), empty stretch of beach that has been designated an official highway.  The sand is hard enough close to the water that it makes for a good driving surface.  You have to time the drive around the tides, watch out for incoming waves pushing up the beach, and streams draining down to the ocean, which can create some really dangerous ruts if you're going 60 mph!  And apparently, according to Dave, the local Maori I talked to before heading out there, the occasional whale will beach itself there as well.  

I saw a big male seal and a bunch of dead blow fish, but that was it for sea life.  I also picked up a guy who was trying to walk the whole thing - Ehren from Sydney.  He had been out there for a day and was maybe a third of the way done.  The beach got the best of him.  

There's not many places I'd condone having a beer while driving, but this was a must!  So cool.  Definitely the highlight so far.