Even though it lied about how long it actually is it was
still pretty cool to drive, in vans (and Ramona’s pink car) down the beach and
through the water. We were then told that the salt water is hard on the cars so
we had to resort back to just the sand. Either way it was pretty neat. See for
yourself.
After the drive on the beach we were going to go straight to
the sand dunes to basically boogie board down them. The dunes are part of the
90 mile beach so you have to drive up a very, very shallow river. This would be
no problem except for the fact that we were in vans, not 4 wheel drive SUV’s.
We had stopped for a few seconds to figure out exactly what we were doing. We
had finished discussing and the other vans began to drive away while the van I
was in began to sink. Yes, we got stuck in the very liquid like mud and the
other vans were gone. The other girls and I jumped out and began to push the
van. This was hopeless because the wheels just kept spinning and digging the
van in deeper and deeper while showering us in mud. It was great. To make a
very long story short, the other van came to help us. Because James is so kind
to everybody we ended up getting two Maori men to come help as well. We said a prayer
and after lots of digging and pushing and lifting we got out!
We got it...
...So we had to celebrate!
The aftermath
Then we got to enjoy our adventures on the sand dunes! This
was so much fun. We had to walk up a ridiculously steep dune, with the wind not
exactly working with us. We got on our boards and flew down that hill! It was
awesome.
After the sand dunes we went down to Cape Reigna, which is
the northernmost tip of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is
considered the meeting point. It marks the separation of the Tasman Sea (to the
west) from the pacific ocean. For Maori, these turbulent waters are where the
male sea Te Moana Takoopoko and Tawhaki meets the female sea Te Tai o
Whitireia. The whirpools where the currents clash are like those that dance in
the wake of a waka (canoe). They represent the coming together of male and
female, the creation of life.
There was also this giant hill that overlooked the entire
ocean. It was unbelievably beautiful on the top. This hill is called the Atua
Peruperu. This hill has so much history to it that I never realized. In 1928,
prophet and hearler T W Ratana came here seeking enlightenment. On the hill
opposite, he heard the atua peruperu (snuffling sounds of the spirits of the
dead as they passed along the Te Ara Wairua, which is a spiritual pathway). The
hill has been called Atua Peruperu ever since. Ratana’s message of unity and
social justice brought thousands of followers together. Today the church he
founded has a strong presence in many Maori communities.
At the next tip there was a cute white lighthouse. I really
like lighthouses. Behind the light house there was a post that had a bunch of
yellow signs with places written on them and arrows pointing in the direction
they are located from there. It was pretty neat.
After we went to cape Reigna we went to get fish n’ chips.
This was a pretty exciting experience seeing as this was my first time having
fish n’ chips. I was a bit nervous because it was very fresh. Fresh as in it
was completely raw on display when we ordered. Surprisingly it was delicious,
but thank goodness Mikaela and I split it. I would not of been able to eat it
all myself.
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