We were driving out of Ahipara this morning when Jan said “we never made it to Cape Reinga Lighthouse”. A pause, then we simultaneously blurted “we’ll have to come back”!

But I’m getting ahead of myself again. Yesterday afternoon it started to cloud over with occasional showers. The setting sun was mostly hidden by the clouds, but the sunset was still pretty impressive.

We loaded the car just in time for our 10:00 AM checkout, but we weren’t ready to leave Ahipara just yet. We found a public parking lot by the beach, and enjoyed one last walk along Ninety Mile Beach. At least for this trip. No pictures of the beach today – you already know how amazing it is. But as we were loading the car, the steps were littered with frangipani flowers knocked off by last night’s rain. We picked up a few to freshen the car, and to remind us of our amazing stay.

We’re staying just outside of Whangarei for the next few days. The B&B is in a private area with a small walking trail, so I decided to explore after we unloaded the car.

I spotted an interesting plant that we’ve seen before. I looked it up and discovered it’s a narrow-leaved cotton bush that is a host of the monarch butterfly.

Once the pods ripen and split open, it’s easy to see why it’s called a cotton bush.

There was also a brugmansia plant at the start of the trail.

The trail was wet after last night’s heavy rain, so I turned around fairly quickly. Walking back up the stairs to the start of the trail I took this picture.

I’m enjoying a beer from Urbanaut as we investigate options for the next three days. Only one more week in New Zealand. 😦