Ninety Mile Beach
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. Rental companies won’t allow their cars on the sand, mostly for safety reasons. The easy way to drive along the beach is to catch a coach tour from Kaitaia.Beach activities range from surfcasting and swimming to bodyboarding down the sand dunes. A special treat is digging for tuatua (a native shellfish) in the sand at low tide. Flanking the beach is the Aupouri Forest, which provides a green escape from the hot sun.Once a year, usually during the last week of February, 90 Mile Beach hosts a five day fishing competition. Hundreds of anglers surf cast from the beach, hoping to catch the biggest snapper.Kawiti Caves (Waiomio Caves)
The Kawiti Caves are a few kilometres south of Kawakawa; they’re also k
nown as the Waiomio Caves. This cave system attracts many visitors with its bizarre karst features, stalactite formations and spectacular glow worm display. The family running tours of the cave are descendents of Chief Kawiti, a hero who fought alongside Hone Heke at Ruapekapeka. The meeting house and marae complex at the caves are his memorial.A highlight of the tour is an encounter with a friendly eel, the guardian of the cave. Once inside you’ll discover ‘inner space’ in the glow worm cave. The ceiling of the cave looks like the night sky - each glow worm is a blue-green coloured star. 'Arachnocampa Luminosa' is a glow worm unique to New Zealand. It is the larval stage of a two winged insect that emits light to attract food.
nown as the Waiomio Caves. This cave system attracts many visitors with its bizarre karst features, stalactite formations and spectacular glow worm display. The family running tours of the cave are descendents of Chief Kawiti, a hero who fought alongside Hone Heke at Ruapekapeka. The meeting house and marae complex at the caves are his memorial.A highlight of the tour is an encounter with a friendly eel, the guardian of the cave. Once inside you’ll discover ‘inner space’ in the glow worm cave. The ceiling of the cave looks like the night sky - each glow worm is a blue-green coloured star. 'Arachnocampa Luminosa' is a glow worm unique to New Zealand. It is the larval stage of a two winged insect that emits light to attract food.
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