Northland, New Zealand: Ninety Mile Beach

On the beautiful Tasman Sea, running the length of the rugged Aupouri Penninsula at the tip of the country is Ninety Mile Beach (dont ask me why, but this is the only measurement in the country that is not metric!). It is a beautiful, never-ending expanse of hard sand and giant sand dunes and is almost completely undeveloped.

Sunset on the beach was very magical as the light played off the dunes and the expanse of the beach.

Driving is permitted along the length of this beach, although there are very few access points. There are signs posted at all access points that warn you to avoid driving on the beach around high tide, as cars have hit soft spots before and been swallowed by the tides. Because rental cars are not allowed to drive on the beach, you can actually take a bus tour and travel along the length of the beach. This bus almost hit Rion while we were out trying to enjoy the "serenity" of the beach.

While we were lamely obeying our rental contract and driving up the traditional gravel roads of the North, the giant dunes of the beach were visible beyond the pastures and wetland areas.

A little side trip towards the very tip of the penninsula took us out to an area of immense, giant, expansive (I could go on...these things were HUGE) sand dunes. We couldn't resist a walk out onto the dunes, but it was so far and uphill to the beach, that we never made it.