Student Experiences in the Far North

Three incredible places to visit in the far north of Te Tai Tokerau Northland with photos from a recent international student trip.

Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga offers the ultimate northern New Zealand experience. See two oceans collide and discover the place of leaping, where Maori spirits begin their final journey.

At the Cape, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular swirl of currents. At the northernmost tip of the Cape is a gnarled pohutukawa tree, believed to be over 800 years old. According to Maori oral history, the spirits of deceased Maori leap from this tree into the ocean to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki.

Ahipara – Giant Sand Dunes

In Te Tai Tokerau Northland, we don’t just surf on the water. In the photos below, international students from Kerikeri High School and Whangārei Girls High School travelled up Ninety Mile Beach to the iconic giant sand dunes at Ahipara for some sand boarding.

Drive along Ninety Mile Beach

Renowned for spectacular sunsets and boasting one of the best left hand surf breaks in the world, Ninety Mile Beach is an almost never-ending paradise.

Ninety-Mile Beach is the fabled strip of sand that stretches from Ahipara to Scott Point, five kilometres south of Cape Maria van Diemen. Truth be told, it is actually 88 kilometres long.

This beach is officially a highway, but is really only suitable for 4WD vehicles and is safe to drive only at specific times of the tides. The easy way to drive along the beach is to catch a bus tour.