Day 4, In Pictures

Our AwesomeNZ (read: Awesome en-zet) tour to Cape Reinga (the farthest north you can go in New Zealand!) departed at a cheery 7:10 AM. Scott and I both woke up around 5:40 AM. Couldn't sleep. =( On the bright side, that gave us time to sit at the beach down the street from our hostel in Paihia and watch the morning light grow. Beautiful no?

Our tour guide was socially awkward and cracked lots of punny jokes that elicit internal groans. He also said to another tour bus driver: "You got the American bunch? YA'LL have a great time!" Then he reverted back to his Kiwi speech peppered with "Sweet as." Likened to the American "Sweet" as far as I know. I still can't help but think, "Sweet as WHAT?!" everytime I hear the expression.

Along the way, we see loads of farm animals (the sheep never fail to crack me up), oodles of gorgeous landscapes aaand... a cow crossing. Cows are funny when they run.

Cape Reinga. Mimi (my finger, or how I started taking pictures of myself at places as a solo traveler) quite enjoyed the view of the Tasman Sea crashing into the Pacific Ocean. The white waves are where they meet over the tippy top of New Zealand! There's an incredibly beautiful Maori legend that pertains to this place. Too tired to retell it now.

The lighthouse at Cape Reinga is good for smooshing...

and eating...

We headed to this gorgeous beach for lunch. I eschewed chewing food in favor of exploring.

The water was ridiculously clear. So clear that while I was exploring, I jumped off a rock onto what I assumed was a dry spot and ended up with my entire left shoe and sock soaking in ridiculously clear water.

Then... SANDBOARDING!! Or duneboarding. Not sure which. You have to hike up a painfully tall dune... I'd be out of breath even if it wasn't completely sand where your foot keeps sinking and sliding and you're never really sure if you're making upward progress or not.

Then throw yourself down on the board and careeeeeen down the sand! It was rather steep and scary when you look down from the top. Once you're going though? It's exhilirating! I got 4 turns in before we had to head back.

Me and my purple board... (When I picked purple I said, my sister would be proud! That's for you Ershee!)

And then to the 90-mile beach, which isn't really 90 miles, and to see the hole in the rock which is attached to another Maori legend which I'm too tired to recall.

But but but, we picked clams! It was much fun. I got progressively more drenched after each activity. The beach got my shoe/sock/foot soaked. The sandboarding got the bottom half of my pants and spots of my shirt soaked. Clam digging got my entire body from my chest down soaked. The dip between the beach and the sand bar was unexpectedly deep. And I leaned down to clam-dig with my back to the waves. Surprise soak!

This is me eating our clams. We picked much more but gave it to our tour guide instead. And I'm paying for the internet by the MB, hence my refusal to rotate this picture and re-upload it.

Twas a very packed (and expensive) day but it was incredible! Time permitting, we shall return to the regular "On _____" posts tomorrow... But for now, pictures and basic words, since the busy day left little room for my creative juices to flow into a cohesive creative story!

8 AM pickup tomorrow. It's off to bed we go!

(And Scott's blog here for a different perspective: http://theyearofthehalfautumn.blogspot.com/ Between the two of us you just might get a fuller picture of our adventures in the grand ol' en-zet!)