We were up at 5:30 for a 7:00 pm pickup by NZ Adventure for a trip to the northernmost part of the North Island. Our driver, Paul was a very entertaining fellow who recounted the social and geological history all along the route. I had done this trip with a company called Fullers, but this company was leap years better in service and interesting visits to places. We stopped at a place called Gumdiggers Park which is situated in an area which played a significant part in NZ history. The Kauri tree was a predominant specie in NZ but was almost logged to extinction. The Kauri tree, as Paul told it, was valued for the lumber and the amber which was "the blood" of the tree or as we know it, sap but really unique in comparison to the sap in our trees. Many of the Kauri trees fell over and were buried in the swamps. There were 2 major forests over centuries that were buried. The Kauri tree, however did not petrify and the wood, even though thousands of years old, was still good wood, and the amber was still a very valuable commodity. Croatians came over to NZ and lived in small camps near the Kauri. They found the trees by probing with metal rods and they dug up the trees and the amber. They eventually harvested about 450,000 tonnes of the amber, much of which was shipped to England and Europe. The conditions these workers lived was appalling. I took some pics of the type of accommodations which I will share later. We then continued up to Cape Reinga which is absolutely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. Cape Reinga is where Maoris believe their souls leave our world. It is also where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet and one can see the boiling water at their meeting. It, for me, was a very spiritual experience being there. We moved on to Ninety Mile Beach where we first did some sand boogeyman boarding. What fun! We climbed about 100 feet up the dunes and then climbed aboard a boogey board and slid to the bottom. When I was climbing up,I thought I would only do it once as it was a steep and difficult climb, but the ride was so fun, both Jean and I decided to do it again! We then continued down the beach stopping to walk in the surf and stopping a second time to see some wild horses. We stopped for what many consider the best fish and chip place in NZ - the Mangonui Fish Shop. We had bluenose fish and chips wrapped in paper. Mmmm. So good! We arrived back at our campsite at 6:30pm so a very long day. There were at least 4 other Canadians on the tour with us, 2 from High River and 2 from Edmonton.