A Birthday Treat

Te Paki Sand Dunes, Northland.Images Courtesy ExploreNZ

Today is my birthday and I'm now at an age when reverting to adolescence seems increasingly attractive. And what better place to engage in something ridiculous and whimsical than the Te Paki sand dunes in the Far North. Located near Te Paki stream - which provides access from Cape Reinga to Ninety Mile Beach for the numerous tourist buses that frequent the area - the dunes have been pushed inland for around five kilometres and in places are over 100 metres high, making them perfect for a spot of sand-boarding. You can go it alone, or you can join the Dune Rider excursions, thereby side-stepping the whole issue of driving yourself north. And there's certainly something to be said for being driven about by someone else. www.explorenz.co.nz