Medlands Beach, Great Barrier Island. Image Courtesy Toursim Auckland 2007. If you scroll down you'll see some of the photos I took last week on the largest of our southern isles, Stewart Island. Most people are surprised to see Stewart Island's beautiful white sand beaches - that's something they associate more with the north of New Zealand - like the above. This is exactly how the very beautiful Medlands Beach on Great Barrier Island looks. In fact, it's exactly how all of their beaches look. I visited Great Barrier in 2007 and I was always amazed to find I was the only person on these pristine expanses. It's all about the isolation you see. Great Barrier may only be a 35-minute small plane ride from Auckland airport (or a 4-5 hour ferry ride), but the island is still without many of the conveniences of the mainland. That's the beauty of it. It's unspoiled and because the Department of Conservation administers over 70% of the island, you can be guaranteed beautiful bush landscapes and thriving bird life. It is well worth the effort of getting there!
