Cape Reinga

April 20th was Dave's birthday so we had a cookout party at our friends house. We had a really great time and enjoyed being with friends. After a couple day's recuperation from Dave's Birthday celebrations, we decided to go see Cape Reinga on April 23rd. We drove up north, which takes about 3 hours and made only a couple pit stops. The first was to see the remnants of the Kauri gum diggers. It was  a quick stop, but it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and learn a little history too. Basically the gum (sap) was collected and used for varnishes and had great value, so it was extracted from the ground. We enjoyed our drive north in the nice sunny weather, and stopped to see 90 mile beach on the west coast. It's a beautiful wide flat beach that permits road traffic. Back on the road, we continued on to Cape Reinga. While most people think it is the most northern point in New Zealand, it actually is not. North Cape, just slightly farther north but not accessible by the public, is the true most northern point. However Cape Reinga fills in as the most northern point since it is a welcoming spot for visitors. The lighthouse and coast are certainly amazing, but the real beauty lies within the beliefs around the cape. The Maori believe the spirits of the dead travel to the cape on their journey to the afterlife. There is an 800 year old tree clinging to the side of a rocky peak whose roots are used as stairs by the spirits to descend into the water and continue on to the underworld. It was a beautiful place and a joy to visit. The park and grounds are all kept very nice and there is plenty of information and history.