Paihia

I caught the intercity bus up north to Paihia. Small little beach town, but beautiful... and quiet! I stayed at the YHA Paihia hostel. Really nice being here out of season, as I imagine it being "party central" in the summer.
I booked a double tour so I could see the 2 main sights I went up there to see, 90 mile beach and Waipoua Kauri Forest. Then I just roamed the town and sat by the ocean side till dark.
The next day, I did the Cape Reinga tour. And guess who got on the bus? My friend Julia from Auckland!
We stopped for a tea break at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom, which was a cafe and gift shop. They featured old dead kauri trees that they've pulled from swamps and carved them into sculptures. The shop itself had an amazing staircase made up of an old stump. These trees are impressive!
Then we continued to 90 mile beach where the coach drove right along the shore. It just kept on going, and going, and going... We took a little stop to stretch our legs and enjoy the ocean. Our driver dug up some shellfish for us to try, but I passed on that one. My friend Julia tried it. Brave girl! Then we continued to the dunes for some sand boarding. I could have done that all day! So much fun... but a good workout. Wasn't easy climbing up the sandy dune.
Then we drove to the very northern part of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. There's a little lighthouse at the point that we walked to. Lovely coastline. Would be nice to take the time to walk the trails along the coast. Note for next time!
On the way back we stopped at a little park that had a boardwalk through the forest. Only took about 10 minutes, very short. After we arrived back in Paihia, Julia and I went out for dinner before calling it a day.
The next day, I went to a farmland owned by a Swiss couple. There were huge boulders on their farm that was really out of place. We went for a walk around the area. Saw 2 hawks and a parakeet. Stunning colours to see in the wild!
After, we headed to Waipoua Kauri Forest to see the largest tree in the country, Tane Mahuta. I was in awe. I've never seen anything so big. Absolutely amazing! It is believed to be 2000 years old and sprang from a seed during the lifetime of Christ. The height is 51.5 metres, trunk girth 13.8 metres and trunk volume is 244.5 metres! Wow! The birds were singing lovely songs and our guide was telling us stories from the Mauri people. What a neat experience!
After I got back, I went over to Julia's hostel for a visit. And she made a wonderful dinner. With dessert as well! Very nice.
I'm staying the night in Auckland tonight and will head to see the glowworms tomorrow!