Northland Part I: Uretiti

Batteries charged.  Gear loaded.  Tunes cranked.  Windows down.  We set off from Auckland in a buzz of caffeine soaked excitement.   Our destination was shifted slightly northwards upon the realization that the campsite we had planned on was full, but nothing could diminish our enthusiasm.  We crossed into the Northland for the first time and a wave of relaxation swept over me as the vacation became a reality.  After Velma (the van) gave a good slogging trying to push us and all our gear over the crest of a big hill, a vast expanse of deep blue sea and mountains stretched out before us, adding a new wave of euphoria to our already elated senses.

We pulled over to snap a picture, a monument to this special moment in time, and as we made our way down the other side of the hill, the highway met up with and ran parallel with the beach we had seen from above.  Up ahead, a sign appeared, reading Uretiti Recreational Reserve, just the place we had been looking for.  This was to be our campsite for the next three nights.  Up to this point neither of us had heard of this place before, and we were only staying here because the original first stop had been full up.  For all the planning that I did, sometimes the best things happen by accident.  Such was the first day.

This is the view of the campsite from the highway

A slice of heaven

Uretiti beach is a massive white sand beach on Bream Bay with sand as fine as talcum powder.  The sea is dark blue on the horizon, with turquoise fading to translucent as the waters lap onto the shore.  The whole beach is backdropped by some rugged mountain headlands and a few islands laid out on the horizon.  The only thing separating our campsite from the beach itself was a big white sand dune covered in scrub brush.  The campsite itself has a unique beauty on it's own, with dry, almost desert like foliage contrasted sharply with the evergreen grass and trees right across the highway.  You gotta love the DOC, they really know how to do it right.  After a quick read through the brochure, we learned Uretiti was the largest nude beach in the Northland, with the camp as the north/south dividing line between the clothing and clothing optional portions of the beach.  For a beach with the name Uretiti, what else would one expect?  We stayed safely to the north of camp and never saw a nudey (or much of anyone for that matter)

Using Uretiti as a base, we explored the nearby Piroa Falls.  A fairly short drive and hike brought us there, and after a brief time at the bottom we spotted a trail leading to the top of the falls.  There were a few plunge pools deep enough for a swim, so we stripped down to the bathing suit and jumped in.  There was an awesome pool at the top of the falls being fed by a mini fall that we played around in a for a while before heading back to the car to make our way to the next half of our day trip - Waipu Caves.  Now if you'll recall, we've been to some caves in New Zealand before.  We went to Waitomo to do some backwater rafting and see some glowworms and cave formations.  This cave, however, differed from those in that it is not a commercial tourist attraction, rather just some cave on a nice guy's property at the end of a long dirt road.  That didn't make the glowworm spectacle any less spectacular.  There was a massive display of bioluminescence a short walk into the cave, and what we gave up in terms of comfort (the cave was muddy and slippery with no place to sit) we made up for in having the place to ourselves for a several minutes and it costing nothing.  I would actually recommend these caves as an alternative to Waitomo, for reasons above.  Sometimes the best things in life really are free.  

Caves and cameras don't mix well

...Neither do cameras and glow worms

The next few days we went to explore Whangarei, the largest town in the Northland.  We had to stop by the store to grab some supplies and scout out the movie theater (where we saw the new Hunger Games) and went to Whangarei Falls, which is surprisingly in a reserve within the city limits.  Whangarei is a functioning rural town with a quaint downtown, so we didn't spend much time there as you might imagine.  We did happen to meet a really friendly lady from Ukiah, CA who was running a used bookshop and let us use her parking lot while went to the movies :)

Overall, our first three days were amazing, we had beautiful sunny weather for the most part, and spent plenty of time on the beach.  It was sad to leave the Uretiti camp, but the trip must continue.  It was off to the Tutukaka coast, where the weather would take a turn for the worst.  More on that next time