New Zealand,once mentioned people will say it's the birthplace of nature.I always wondered how on earth people would come to New Zealand when it's so expensive to travel and the answer is this.Nothing beats the natural wonders of New Zealand.Expensive buy worth it!Well,to tell you the truth,if it wasn't for my working holiday,I don't think I could come here.Gotta thank the NZ govt for this!So,what makes New Zealand so worth going?Again,nature and tons of NATURE!Stunning volcanoes,scenic mountains,amazing waterfalls,turquoise seas just to name a few.I have explored nearly all the Northland attraction thus writing a post on my top places to travel around northland. As far as I know,travelling in New Zealand is not cheap especially if you don't have your own transportation so try to hitchhike,share fuel with others and so on.Check out tip 5 and 6 on this POST that I had written for it.Let's get this blog started. 1)CAPE REINGA This lighthouse is located in the northern end of North Island in New Zealand and its 430km from Auckland.I reccomend doing the NORTHLAND activities so you don't miss the best of northern part and also,you can start your trip from there and make your way down all the way to the lower parts of the North Island. Cape Reinga is so unique and interesting because of its seperation between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east.If you're lucky,you will see the tidal race between both seas that clash and thus created a "sea cyclone".Not only that,the Maori's believe that when a person dies,the spirits travels to the Pohutukawa tree which sits on the very tip of Cape Reinga and to the seas below.The spirit then goes to Three Kings Island for a last farewell before rejoining their ancestors. NAT'S 5A's Admission :FREE!! Attraction :✰✰✰✰/5(Stunning views over the lighthouse and seas) Accessible :✰✰✰/5(Only cars and tour buses.No public transportation) Amenities :✰✰/5(Only toilets.Bring your own food as no shops are around) Activities :✰✰✰✰/5(Walking tracks,beach,nearby camping) 2)TEPAKI SAND DUNES How many people would have thought that New Zealand has it's own desert?Yup.I was shocked till I came here.And to make things interesting,the desert is situated by the sea on the upper west of 90 miles beach.Where can you find a desert that's located near the ocean?Rare huh.Allright,this desert is not just an ordinary desert.It has one of the coolest activities you can do within it,that is SANDSURFING!I personally haven't heard of this term till I play it myself.All you need to do is to climb one of the highest dunes(above pic)slide down and hang on with your life.Trust me it's fun!!That's what sandsurfing is all about.Let the sand do it's job. NAT'S 5A's Admission :FREE!!! Attraction :✰✰✰✰/5 (When is the last time you played in the desert?) Accessible :✰✰✰/5 (Only cars and tour buses(no public transportation) Amenities :✰/5(Nothing,probably I was having so much fun that I didn't notice it) Activities :✰✰✰✰/5(diving,snorkeling,fishing and tramping tracks) 3)CAPE BRETT This discreet place located in the eastern part of Bay of Islands is my favourite tramping track in the North Island.Have you ever wish you could just stay in a place where the stars light up the night while the sound of ocean just gives you that inner peace?Well,this is the perfect place but there's a catch.A tramping track that's 16 km long(approximately 8 hours)to reach Cape Brett.It's not for the faint hearted but for those who has moderate fitness like me,it's doable.To top it off, you're far away from civilization so it's just you and nature!And there's a hut for you to stay too!!It's better to stay for a few nights to rest and enjoy what nature has to offer.Watch the VIDEO of one of my vlogs in Cape Brett. NAT'S 5A's Admission :$30 for tramping track+$15 pp/night hut.(Refer DOC for details) Attraction :✰✰✰✰✰/5(The ultimate guide to mother nature!) Accessible :✰✰✰/5(By foot or water taxi.(Refer DOC) Amenities :✰✰/5(lack of shower facilities and drinkable water.Bring yours!) Activities :✰✰✰✰✰/5(snorkeling,fishing,seal spotting,stargazing) 4)NINETY MILE BEACH It's like everywhere you go in New Zealand you're bound to find a beach nearby,(Duh,it's an island)but this beach is kind of special.Have you ever seen a beach that stretches that long?88 kilometres is no big joke.Plus,this is an official highway for you to get places like Cape Reinga and the Sand Dunes.With this rugged terrain,4WD are the best and is safe to drive at specific times during low tides.Anyway,we did this with a car for a short journey and it feels so incredible!The wind,the sound of the waves just makes a perfect getaway on weekends.During low tides at certain areas,digging for tuatua(a native shellfish) is known for delicacy to the locals. NAT'S 5A's Admission :FREE!!! Attraction :✰✰✰✰/5(Pretty cool to ride a car fast on a beach!Try it on water :) Accessible :✰✰✰/5 (Only cars and tour buses.No public transportation) Amenities :✰✰/5 (only toilets available) Activities :✰✰✰/5 (surfcasting,swimming,fishing,digging shellfish,picnics) 5)MERMAID POOLS Again,a charming pool beside the crystal blue ocean on a hot summers day is a place you shouldn't miss in Matapouri Bay,36 kilometres from Whangarei.What's unique about this place is the pool,made of natural formation between big rocks,creating a pool that is deep enough to drown a person.It also has small mini pools nearby where you can just lay down and soak in the sun.It's pretty nice in summer and will be crowded on weekends so come early for "instagramable" pictures. NAT'S 5A's Admission :FREE!! Attraction :✰✰✰✰/5 (Nature's unique pool beside the sea?Definitely go!) Accessible :✰✰/5 (Only cars.No public transportation or tours) Amenities :✰✰✰✰/5(There's a mart with ice cream shop,toilets,gas station) Activities :✰✰✰✰/5(swimming,walking tracks,picnics,cliff jumping) 6)MT MANAIA Looking for mountains to hike for epic views?This is it!Located in the Whangarei district,it offers 360 degrees view of Whangarei Heads,Bream Head,Hen and Chicken Islands.The hike is not as tough as I expected and took me around 1 hour 30 mins to reach the top.What's interesting though is the summit.There are 2 summits.One is much safer to reach than the other.I'll explain in the photo's later.There is also a free scenic campsite nearby if you wish to stay the night. NAT'S 5A's Admission :FREE! Attraction :✰✰✰✰✰/5 (Worth the hike!No question asked!) Accessible :✰✰/5(Only cars.No public transportation or tours) Amenities :✰✰✰/5 (Toilets and restaurant available) Activities :✰✰✰✰/5(Hiking,picnic,nearby swimming and water activities) 7)WAIPU CAVES Caves has always been my favourite place to explore and yes it looks mysteriously cool.Well in New Zealand,some caves are beyond extraordinary especially the glowworms.This species of glowworms can only be found in New Zealand and Australia and it's also bioluminescent.When total darkness,the cave becomes a magical wonderland.It's like watching the milky way except it's in the cave.Some caves are not free for admission but this particular place in the northland is FREE!!Be sure to wear short pants and sandals though because wading is not fun with long pants.I'm sure you get what I mean. NAT'S 5A's Admission :FREE!! Attraction :✰✰✰✰/5(Glowworm caves!It's only in Aus or NZ!) Accessible :✰✰/5(Only cars.No public transportation or tours) Amenities :✰✰/5(Only toilets available) Activities :✰✰✰✰/5(Caving,day camping,rock climbing,easy tramping) That concludes my top places to go in the Northland.Stay tune for more post in the North island in the coming months as I will be travelling all around North Island.I know I haven't been blogging lately but it's because I had to work temporarily to sustain myself.It's so frigging expensive in here.Let me know in the comment section if you have any new budget ideas or cheap places to explore in the Northland too.Until then see you guys!You can stay connected with me on FB for more photos that I don't publish on my blog.E NOHO RA!
3 Comments
Yanislava Hristova
3/7/2017 06:13:52 pm
Hey mate, I'm going there end of the month and if it wasn't for your post I might have missed some awesome and FREE things to do so thank you!
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NAT
3/8/2017 06:41:30 pm
No biggies!Glad that it helps.Cheers!
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Min
7/6/2017 03:31:11 pm
Nat! You take pictures well!
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