The West Coast

Our first stop on the drive across the North Island was Opononi, a small drive through village with beautiful sand dunes and a fantastic view of the coastline. We stayed on a lovely little campsite alongside the beach and woke up to an incredible sunrise. To make the most of it we decided to go for a run along the beach armed with the camera to take lots of photographs.
                                      

Our next stop was the Waipoua Kauri Forest, home to the ancient native Kauri trees. We walked the forest trails to see both the oldest and the tallest tree in the forest, which were very impressive. Stood next to the tallest we looked like ants.

Then we drove to Kai Iwi Lakes, beautiful ice blue water lakes. We enjoyed a picnic there in the sunshine and walked the nearby hills to a viewpoint, which was certainly worth the climb.