We drove further north today. We planned to use Ahipara as a base to visit the Cape Reinga Lighthouse, near the northern tip of New Zealand, and to explore Ninety Mile Beach. It was a comfortable drive, just over two hours, so we planned to do a little exploring along the way. But before we even left Paihia we spotted a market beside the road. We had time to kill, so we decided to check it out.

The market is timed to coincide with days when cruise ships dock in the Bay of Islands, so there are a lot of craft stalls, in addition to a few with produce. One particular spot caught Jan’s eye.

The woman uses all natural fabrics, and plants for the dyes. The leaf shapes you can see are from actual leaves. Jan bought a merino wool wrap that is absolutely gorgeous. Then it was off to the first of our two waterfall stops.

Of course there was also a hiking trail, so we stretched our legs. This tree along the trail was particularly interesting.

Then we headed to Kerikeri to get lunch on our way to Rainbow Falls.

By now it was getting late, so we headed for Ahipara. The place we are staying in is called Gems Seaside Lodge. When we opened the front door, we understood why. This is the view from the room.

We unloaded the car, got ourselves organized, and then…

If you look closely at the previous picture you can see what looks like sand dunes in the distance. That is exactly what it is. It is one of the things that I may have to explore, if I ever get tired of walking along the beach.

It’s called Ninety Mile Beach, but it isn’t actually that long. Apparently it is “only” 88 km long. You can see it stretching into the distance.

It isn’t just about the beach. The front of the house had a gorgeous frangipani plant, still in bloom.

I said that this wasn’t just about the beach, but let’s be honest here, it’s mostly about the beach. This is where I’m sitting as I write this blog post.

As I was writing, I looked up and saw this.

I started this post by saying we had two things in mind when we booked here – Cape Reinga Lighthouse, and Ninety Mile Beach. After seeing the view from Gems and walking the beach, we’re thinking that Cape Reinga Lighthouse may need to wait for another visit.