2/1/26: Cape Reinga to a random Sand dune: 35.86km (3hrs23min) – Early sunshine, afternoon intense rain and high winds.
Nervous, excited and energised were the words to describe how we were all feeling this morning as we woke at 0530 to get the car packed and drive up to Cape Reinga! Alistair and Eileen have been so generous with their home and time and again we were in their debt as they hooked up the trailer with our bikes and gear and we set off.
Stopping off for a pie along the way we were treated to fine weather and beautiful east coast beaches. continuing northwards the sun continued to shine however we knew the forecast was for showers this afternoon so were were keen to get to the cape and get going.
Vehicles lining the road and people moving about like ants saw us arriving us at the tourist hotspot of the Cape, we parked and joined in the throng of people walking down to the lighthouse to see the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman sea.
Finally it was time to unload the bikes, put together the final bits (pedals, handlebar and frame bags etc) and strap on the panniers. We had a short period of worry as we couldn’t find our cycling multi-tool which we needed to put our bikes together, luckily one of the rangers had a spare Allen key for us. To our relief the tool was found in my shoes so panic was over. With our bikes heavily laden we bid our goodbyes and thanks to Alister and Eileen and rolled out of the carpark to start our trip under sunny skies. The mood was high and it wasn’t lingering before we were puffing hard up our first (of many) climbs. Raelene resorted to pushing up the last section, hoping that after a couple of weeks some cycling fitness and strength will return!
Just before we turned onto the beach access road the rain started to fall, It increased in intensity until it was falling with such force we had to make a retreat into a picnic shelter at the base of of the giant sand dunes that stood between us and 90-mile beach.
The rain continued as we navigated the stream that was the access onto the beach. At times we were riding through shoe deep water while also getting blasted with rain from the side. Unfortunately track conditions deteriorated to us walking the last 500m section on the beach, lugging heavy bikes through soft sand sapped our day one energy.
Finally we made it to the beach proper and had a quick snack before attempting to ride another 15 odd km to our first campsite for the night. However our later start, slow progress up the hills and waiting out storms put the tide against us and we were racing an incoming tide while trying to make the campsite. We were all a bit knackered after and epic day and realised quite lat into the evening that we simply were not going to make it to our campsite as we had run out of beach!
We retreated to the Dunes, under a rainbow and found a relatively sheltered spot to set up our tent – effectively ’emergency camping’. Thankfully the rain had abated and the skies cleared allowing us to set the tent up without getting wet. A hearty meal of mince and mashed potato, warm tent and cozy sleeping bags had everyone feeling happy that we had done our first day. Oliver came out with a classic line while eating his camp cooked dinner stating with enthusiasm, “how does this taste better than home food!!!”
Sleep came pretty easy….Day one done.
3/1/26: Random sand dune – Hukatere: 37.84km (3hrs37mins) – sunny, slight tail wind which turned into a side/head wind.
Everyone had a huge sleep in which was great, it certainly helped that it was so quiet outside. I was surprised we didn’t hear any sea birds in the morning. Through the night the wind picked up a fair bit which made us both a little nervous but it didn’t last long and we had no rain.
We all devoured our porridge then as we packed away the boys played frisbee, rested in the tent and started their diaries. Rhys kept checking the weather and read there was a severe thunderstorm warning for the North Island….he was getting quite worried. But we still had blue sky so I was staying optimistic. Due to the forecast we decided to leave as early as the tide would let us so just before midday we all got on our bikes and started riding. Arthur continued on my bike this morning, the sand was ok and we had a little tail wind so the ride to The Bluff campground was reasonably fast. We had to push our bikes over some rocks to get around the point due to the tide still being quite high. The Bluff campsite is lovely and must be popular as so many people were camping there. We had lunch in the camp kitchen – Nutella or peanut butter on crackers followed by tuna and salami wraps, followed by a cup of soup for Oliver and Arthur. Riding certainly makes you feel hungry!
After lunch Oliver jumped on my bike and Arthur had a turn going solo. I must admit I am struggling with the weight of my bike and the lack of bike fitness/strength so having the older two helping out has been fantastic. The next 30km along the beach was great. We had plenty of rest stops, a few games of guess the animal, saw heaps of seagulls, were passed by so many cars some of which would toot which the kids loved. Some of cars drive so fast along the beach and you can’t hear them approaching so often give us a fright as they zoom past. So glad the drivers are paying attention. Heaps of them do donuts on the sand and Oliver loved riding around the tracks, not sure how he has the energy too! Patrick asked me to do it and I said no as I was struggling with the distance already so didn’t want to add any more metres on – sorry Patrick maybe by week 2 I will be fitter to play around a bit more.
With 12km to go we returned to our original bike arrangements and battled a slight head-wind to make it to Hutekake campground. Super proud of us all for making it.
We found a spot for the tent then went to the camp kitchen for dinner, Oliver made friends with fellow campers by showing them his magic card tricks. We were also given a packet of chips and some soft drink which was super lovely. Dahl was on the menu tonight which was again demolished then we all enjoyed a nice warm shower and the kids were asleep within minutes of lying down. It is absolutely awesome being knowing that this is our life for the next year.
4/1/26: Hukatere – Waipapakauri: 18.9km (1hr50mins) – Sunny, initial headwind which died off late afternoon.
We woke to wild horses grazing in the paddocks next to our campsite and sun streaming into the tent. With the low tide not being until around 1730 today there was no rush to get down onto the beach and start riding so we made the most of a lazy morning drinking coffee, chai latte and tea in the sun.
Another two riders had turned up late last night making a total of three different groups of cyclists having stayed overnight. It was great to catch up with all of them and explore each others intentions and goals. Oliver was a great ice breaker, offering to perform card tricks for everyone which was both very brave and quite cute of him 🙂
Raelene did a great job in getting the boys into their diary writing however after a long couple of days on the bike the tiredness and hunger was taking over and poor Oliver started to struggle…Finally with a bit of coaxing and a bowl of pasta on board he was back and keen to pack up and ride.
We had a relatively short day planned and getting onto the beach we were thankful for that as the wind had turned a definite Southerly and was blowing strongly in our faces. This made progress pretty slow and sapped moral.
Along the beach there has been quite a few fishers, casting long beach rods into the surf in the hope of a snapper. today however we saw the future of beach fishing, a family was hooking up a multiple hooked long line to the bottom of an enormous Drone that, equipped with a camera, could scout for fish then release the bait rig in the hope of a hookup!
We stopped again at around the 9km mark and threw the frisbee on the beach, while doing so Alan and Katy, whom we had met the previous evening at camp, caught up to us. We proceeded to ride the next 10km with them, enjoying a chat into a decreasing headwind and swapping stories of cycling, activities, travel and life.
We reached our pull off area for the day and said our goodbyes and good lucks before heading into Waipapakauri and finding a campsite, a hot shower and a camp kitchen for the night. Oliver pulled out a couple more magic tricks for some unsuspecting bystanders and managed to pull off one that he had been learning this morning much to his relief!
With the low tide being so late in the day we are looking forward to another lazy morning tomorrow, planning on riding at around 1430…
5/1/26: Waipapakauri – Ahipara 20km (2hrs2mins) – Sunny, head wind. 90 mile beach = 112.6km in total.
We had a very relaxing morning around the campsite, the boys all wrote their diaries then enjoyed playing in the playground while Rhys and I tried to get sorted with our own journal. Patrick had a little nap then woke up keen for a swim, so after some lunch the boys had a swim in the pool. Finally 2pm arrived and we could get on our bikes and start our last day on the beach.
The riding was great, the wind wasn’t too bad and we made good progress, Patrick and I chatted along the way and enjoyed watching the black backed gulls find pipi’s, drop them from a high height a couple of times to break them open then eat them. Patrick thought they were playing a game, it was great to watch. The waves started to get less powerful the closer we got to the end.
We only have one stop along the way and before we knew it we had reached Ahipara. Riding off 90 mile beach was quite lovely, everyone was glad to be on a sealed road again as the riding is instantly easier. We rode straight to the campground and were absolutely stunned at the cost of an unpowered tent site for a family of 5 – $132!!!! The man reduced it to let Patrick stay free but it still cost us $108. We both were quite shocked but Rhys was rather grumpy about it which unfortunately dampened the fact we just finished 90mile beach!!! woohoo go us.
The kids celebrated with buying an ice cream and enjoying them while we set up the tent before we all rode off to the local store to get supplies for dinner. Arthur, Oliver and Rhys rode home via the beach to get some seawater for the pipi’s Arthur had collected so we can eat them in the morning. Patrick and I cooked the bbq and had dinner ready when they other arrived.
It took a very long time for the kids to get to sleep unfortunately due to the loud nosies from other campers, poor things were so tired. Eventually they did give way to sleep and were out just after 9pm.
