One Day in the Far North

Cable Bay. April 2009. Ajr.

Now that I'm back in the deep south weathering ice, snow, fog, mist, rain, hail and wind, my days in the Far North in April suddenly seem far too distant a memory. The day I took this photograph at Cable Bay, near Mangonui, it was actually raining believe it or not. If I have to endure a rainy day, that's the sort of rain I'd like down here. www.northlandnz.com

World Famous Fish & Chips

Mangonui, Far North. April 2009. Ajr

I'm afraid to say that little has changed in the little Far North fishing village of Mangonui in the decades since I last stayed there - but maybe that's a good thing. One thing that has become clear, the Mangonui Fish Shop has taken it's popularity seriously, now billing itself as The World Famous Mangonui Fish Shop. I'm always fascinated by claims like these and wonder just how they arise.

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

The Tip of the North

Cape Reinga, Northland. Image: ExploreNZ

Here I am – at the very tip of the North Island – getting a glimpse of the Cape Reinga Lighthouse. It was built in 1941 and became fully automated in 1987, ending the era of the lighthouse-keeper. According to Maori mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their way to the after-life, so theoretically it should feel like a very spiritual place. Overflowing with tourists as it invariably is though, it’s a very special kind of hell - which is a very great pity for it’s the sort of spot I’d love to sit alone in.

Peninsula Retreat

Carrington, Karikari Peninsula, Far North. Image supplied by Heritage Hotels.

Many years ago – and I mean around thirty years ago – when I lived in Auckland, we holidayed at Coopers Beach in the Far North. It was a tiny little beach settlement then – a sprinkling of summer holiday baches, a camping ground, a store and not much else. That was the beauty of it – that and the beautiful, remote, white sand beaches that you had entirely to yourself. The best of all were the stunning sandy stretches on Karikari Peninsula, a tiny finger of land that poked out off the end of Matai Bay. The beaches were sublime and nobody lived there. It’s a different story today. When I travelled there in 1999 for the first edition of Frommers New Zealand, I was staggered at how built-up the whole area had become. As disappointed as I still am that ‘remote’ and ‘unpopulated’ are a thing of the past, it is nice to see beautiful retreats like Carrington springing up to accommodate the well-heeled visitor. Set on a 3,000 acre estate with 4 kilometres of secluded beach, it comes complete with 900 acres of restored wetland, a working cattle farm and New Zealand’s northernmost vineyard and winery. (They had their first vintage in 2003 and the new, state-of-the-art winery was completed in 2004). I’m heading up there again soon – for Frommers 6th edition – and I hope to check out that 4-kilometre secluded beach – if only in the interests of nostalgia. It’s not a bad way to escape a Christchurch winter. www.heritagehotels.co.nz www.frommers.com