The next morning we drove up to Cape Reinga, the northern-most point of New Zealand. The place is interesting not only because it is the furthest north you can go but also because you can see where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. For the Maori people, the place is significant because they believe its a sacred area where the souls of the dead leave the world and pass on to the next place. After about two hours of driving we reached the cape and hiked out to the lighthouse.

Where the Tasman and the Pacific meet

On our way back down we stopped at some of the biggest sand dunes in the country and also took a look at 90 Mile Beach. At the sand dunes we watched some people learning to kite surf and others attempting to sand board. It's popular to drive along 90 Mile Beach (it's really only about 60 miles long) but Annette advised us not to do so because if your car hits a spot of soft sand you're done for. She says the local police are always called out to drag some tourist's car out of the incoming tide. We opted to walk along it for a bit instead.

We made some other stops along the way back as well mostly to check out the price and quality of roadside avocado sales. I love avocados and the fact that they are plentiful and cheap in New Zealand is something I haven't gotten tired of. We found some for $2/bag and bought several - Yum!

We arrived at Annette's at about dinnertime again and this time she had a seafood dinner for us. Annette is a Jill of all trades and not only works for the local vet during the day but is the volunteer maritime radio coordinator for Far North Radio - a station which advises boats of weather and handles distress calls. While we were at her house she was constantly giving weather reports and handling problems in Doubtless Bay.

A couple of fishermen had owed her a favor on the wharf so she had aquired some fresh green shell mussels, oysters and crayfish for our dinner that day. She also brought out a piece of smoked marlin that she had caught some time before - we even got to see the 'beak' that had originally been on the fish! Trying the seafood was fun - first we tried everything raw and then she cooked everything in different sauces. I could only handle about one or two raw mussels and oysters but Sean was in absolute heaven and ate his share and most of mine.

Crayfish are an expensive delicacy in New Zealand and basically just look like a large lobster without the pincers. Although so much of the seafood is plentiful in the tiny seaside towns of the northern coast, most of the time locals can't afford to eat it because all of it is exported. We both felt lucky that we were able to try so many of the seafood treats that Doubtless Bay had to offer. Thanks Annette!

 

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