Today was what one would call a beach day, visiting so many breath taking beaches it was unreal. We started of in the doubtless bay area of Matia Bay, it was a little out our way on a peninsular but we had seen pics of two bays seperated by a pinnacle that looked stunning in the shape of a 'W'. When we got here it was exactly like the picture but we couldn't figure out how to get an aerial view of both the bays for a nice pic so Kate took us up the penninsular seperating the two beaches. There was no clear cut track but she was on a mission so I just followed! We were slipping in the mud with flip flops on, crawling through bush, climbing down steep clinging onto the trees, it was like a bloody jungle trek. I kept saying "this isn't a proper footpath" but she was like "yes it is i can see the pathway, its just that theres a tree thats fallen down in the way of it". So we carried on reluctantly climbing until we couldn't go any further, where she finally admitted defeat. However to be fair we did get some pretty amazing views of the two beaches but not of both the bays in one shot unfortunately. It was a really funny start to the day however when we got back down to the beach we were covered in mud, cuts, and looked like we had been dragged through a bush backwards haha!

After our usual paddle and washing our flip flops in the sea we moved onto Ninety Mile Beach to have some fun with the car - as you could drive on this beach. We couldn't believe how long this beach was, it continued as far as the eye could see and was just completely rugged and unspoilt, there was nothing on it whatsoever, empty!! We took the car down and ragged it along the sand messing about, great fun!

Our next beach stop was a little further up the coast... the contrast in different styles of beaches up the east coast from Auckland is just incredible. This beach had the purest Silica Sand in the world, so you need to be careful with your camera's. It was perfectly white and like flour squeaking under our feet. In Contrast to the beach the sea looked so turquoise and running into the sea was a river estuary... the beach was backed by bright white sand dunes which Kate had a play on, pulling some cheeky kart Wheels, jumps etc - Poser! The beach was like paradise, we can only imagine that in summer it must be a beautiful beach to swim in!!

Further up the coast we arrived at Spirit Bay... an amazing beach that, instead of sand, was filled with small bright coloured shells. It was amazing!!! Its incredible how beaches almost next to eachother are so different!! The sea was coming in and when it reached your feet they would just sink into the sand! This beach was blessed with amazingly huge waves.. I ran right up to them, and then ran away - if anyone got caught in them they would be seriously stuffed!

Once we had reached Cape Reinga we decided to sleep the night in the carpark - and what a night that was. Since we were so high up on the cliff, and the wind was so strong, the car literally shook all night - we thaught we was going to get tipped over several times! In the morning we got up early and checked out the lighthouse. It was amazing, had a complete 'End of the World' feeling. Around the lighthouse was a cool sign showing all directions of other continents such as Tokyo, London, Sydney, South Pole, New York - all with the distances to them which added to this feeling !Looking out onto the sea was completely incredible- it had something that we have ever seen - 2 oceans coming together - the Tasman and South Pacific. You could actually see the 2 different ocean waves smashing up against eachother as the tides ran together. It was really dramatic. In the distance you could see Ninety Mile Beach's Sand dunes and a really dramatic beach cove which led round to where the Old Lighthouse was, which was cool.

We stopped off at Tapotupotu Bay, another beautiful spot with really good surf, and at one end of the beach rocks around the cove, and at the other covered in bush. Beautiful! One of the things Kate and I really wanted to do whilst on our travels was to try some Sand Dune Surfing, so we thought the Te Paki Giant Sand dunes, south of Cape Reinga would be a perfect spot. We rented a board for $10 from the local shop and hit the dunes. They were massive! We were tired before we actually started the sandboarding - the walk (or climb!!) up to them was a killer! The wind was really strong, and you would get smashed by so much sand! I dread to think what the sahara desert is like!! It was definately worth it.. awesome fun!! At the top of the dunes the wind was so strong, we could barely lift the sandboard or it would fly off!! We were a little concerned whilst we were at the top of the dunes as they were pretty steep!! But one bloke arrived and without a second thought just hurled himself off them on his front. and me being me couldnt have that - so I followed suit and did the same. Apart from the amount of sand that went up our nose and mouth it was brilliant, Kate got some cool videos - but I dont think it shows how steep they actually were, or how fast you go on those things!! Kate decided to have a go, or several.. it was hilarious, she couldnt keep straight on the board half the time and would do dohnuts all the way down. It was such an enjoyable experience that we will definately have to do again somewhere else!!!

After getting caught up in 2 lots of sheep hearding we carried on until we arrive in Opononi to a campsite in much need of a hot shower after all the sandboarding! The campsite was pretty nice,looking directly onto the Opononi Sanddunes - which is unique in that one side of the dunes is covered in bush. We headed on the next morning to Waipoua Forest to check out the Kauri trees which this area is renound for. We started off with a short ten minute walk to 'Tane Mahuta' - the 'Lord of the forest'. This is the largest living Kauri tree in New Zealand, with total height being 51.5m and trunk girth 13.8m. The tree carried much Maori belief. In Maori cosmology, Tane is the son of Ranginui the sky father and Papatuanuku the earth mother. Tane tore his parents apart breaking their primal embrace, to bring in light, space and air allowing life to flourish. Tane is the life giver, with all the living trees his children. It is thought that this tree sprang from the seed around 2000 years ago around the lifetime of Christ. A real beautiful story and tree. The 'Father of the forest' had a girth of 16.5m, and height of 29.9m - huge, and their roots are so delicate that if they are stood on it can kill these giant trees as they are so close to the surface of the ground! We carried on through the forest to see some more of these impressive trees. The '4 Sisters' were pretty impressive, 4 huge trees with one massive root. 'The Yakas' was named after a native Dalmation bush man and Gum Digger Nick Yakas. With a girth of 12.29m, and height of 43.9m. These trees are massive!! To be honest we were quite unsure what to expect with these Kauri trees, but walking through the forest was actually really interesting, definately well worth the visit!