ON WHEELS TO THE FAR NORTH

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 120, 18 February 1928, Page 22

ON WHEELS TO THE FAR NORTH

A CYCLING TOUR TO SPIRITS BAY NORTH AUCKLAND

Probablv few people realjse that it is possible to drive a car from Wellington at the extreme south end of the North Island to Spirits Bay which lies between the . North Cape and Cape Maria Van Diemen, the northernmost point of New Zealand. Indeed, it is only lately, by the construction of some ten miles of roadway connecting up Spirits Bay with the Ninety Mile Beach, that it has been made possible to motor from one end of the North Island to the other.. It is not everybody who can afford the luxury of a motor-car, but to those who do not mind roughing it, it is still possible to reach this beautiful spot in the Winterless North bv the good old-fash-ioned push-bike. This trip was undertaken by the writer and a friend during the last Christmas holidays and proved to be a most interesting and enjoyable, though at times somewhat strenuous trip. We travelled by train to Auckland, taking our bikes with us, and from there continued our journey by rail

(By “Off the Chain” for The Dominion;

to Okaihau which is a station some two hundred miles north of Auckland, and at present the northern end of the New Zealand Railways. From Okaihau we commenced our journey by bicycles, carrying all our camping gear with us and buying food as we went along. North of Kaitaia and Awanni, which are forty-seven arid fifty-two miles respectively from Okaihau, there are no shops, and accordingly on our arrival at the former place, we bought enough provisions to take us, we hoped, to Spirits Bay and back again, a distance of about one hundred and twenty miles. We were now to commence our long journev along the Ninety Mile Beach until we reached Te Paki station, where the seven miles of newly, constructed roadway to Spirits Bay commences. The Ninety Mile Beach. We left Awanui, carrying on each bike some forty pounds or more of camping gear and food, and reached the Ninety Mile Beach via Waipapakattri. This stretch of beach from Ahipara to Scott’s Point, is, in reality, only some fifty or sixty miles long, though it has always been known as the Ninety Mile Beach. Imagine a stretch of sand hard as concrete at low tide, extending for fifty miles without it break, some fiftv times as long as Lyall Bay. Along the whole length of the beach there is only one place where there are rocks of any description, and these are situated at what is known as The Bluff, some thirty miles along the beach from Awanui. At low tide there is a stretch of hard sand at least fiftv vards wide extending for the whole fifty miles and quite safe for motor traffic. Indeed, the tires of the two or three cars that passed us made practically no impression on the sand. At high tide the sand is too soft for motor traffic, though we were able to travel along it by keeping as far out towards the sea as possible, and thus avoiding the softer sand. We found it indescribably monotonous hiking along the beach with nothing to see but sand and salt water. A head wind, with a driving mist from the sea, made it very difficult for us to push our heavily-laden bikes along at all, and the total absence of fresh water of any description for thirty miles did not make things any easier. The Bluff, is the first place where water is obtainable, and we arrived here at 5.30 p.m. on the first day out from Awanui. It had taken us eight hours to cover some thirty miles of beach, and we still had twelve miles to go before striking inland to Te Paki station. The next day we soon put these twelve miles behind us and came to a creek, near which is a notice-board informing us that we had arrived at Te Paki Creek, which was quite safe for motor traffic. The station is some five miles inland. The sand in the creek bed was too soft for us to ride on, though it caused the motor-cars no trouble. On our way up the creek we met half a dozen fishermen, who stand in the surf and throw their lines out as far as they will go. The bait used is heroa, large quantities of which are found under the sand all along the beach. At the Bluff we saw three Maoris staggering under a load of schnapper, heavier than they could conveniently handle. After a mile or so of this we came to a road (of a sort) leading over the paddocks to the station. Here and there the road petered out altogether, and we had to push our way over paddocks as best we could.

proved to be one of the steepest hills we had ever been down, Titiokura and Turangakuma not excepted. It looked far too steep to ride down, but we did not like the idea of pushing our bikes downhill, and so decided to make the attempt. We literally stood on the brakes the whole way down, and oven then found it quite impossible to stop without riding into the bank. Fortunately we met no cars coming up. At last we came to a gate, which we passed through, and below us we saw our goal—Spirits Bay—Land’s End. At Spirits Bay. Nestling in a valley bathed in sunshine, it presented a sight which must be seen to be appreciated. Never did nature present a greater contrast. Above a storm was raging, while below all was calm and peaceful. Directly below us could be seen half a dozen huts and several tents, with two or three cars parked alongside. We descended the remaining hundred yards or so, and were met by Colonel Bell, M.P. for the

We arrived at the station about midday that day, and were very kindiv given a cup of tea and shown the way to Pandora, as the western end of Spirits Bay is called in the Far North. The road traverses verv hilly country, and is, to put it mildly, very rough. Having been only recently constructed, it is all clay, and there nrc some exceedingly steep pinches, and some verv narrow bends. After we had left Te Paki about half an hour behind we ran into a southerly storm, and were seen wet to the skin. It began to blow hard, and reminded us of old windy Wellington many miles away. A driving mist rendered visibility very bad, and we could not see more than twenty yards ahead of us. We had visions of pitching our tent in the wet, and did not feel very cheered at the prospect. At last we arrived at the top of what

Far North, who was spending some time at his favourite holiday resort, and who made us welcome to Pandora. This valley, which they call Pandora, is at the western end of Spirits Bay, and runs back from the sea for about half a mile with steep hills on either side. There is a pretty little stream running through the middle of the valley, giving an ample supply of water. It was beautifully warm, the extreme lieat of the sun being tempered by a gentle northerly breeze. Looking back towards the hills over which we had come, black storm clouds scudding across the sky showed only too clearly what the weather was like elsewhere. About a quarter of an acre of the valley is laid out in flower and vegetable garden, there being some particularly fine crops of strawberries and tomatoes. The sop looked verv rich, and we were told it was possible to grow practically anything which requires a hot climate. We were amazed when we were informed that there had been practically no rain since September. The bad weather seems to miss the bay altogether. Another surprise was in store for us when we found that we could buy a limited supply of provisions and send a telegram anywhere in New Zealand, there being a telephone line to Te Paki which serves as a telegraph office! We pitched camp and had a swim in the surf, which rolls in from the open sea to the beach, which is perfectly safe for bathing. Never had we felt salt water so warm. We decided to stay here for a couple of days before starting on our return journey. There are several huts which have been built _ by Maoris (made of flax), which arc hired out to campers for a few shillings a dav. There is, in addition, a larger hut which is used as a social hall, and has quite a good floor for dancing, though it is, of course, very small. We . had no trouble with mosquitoes that night, though at times, we were told, they were very troublesome. 'lTie following day was perfect, there being hardly a cloud in the sky. A Magnificent Prospect. As the weather had been so bad on our way over, we decided to climb a small hill above the bay and obtain a view of the surrounding country. It was magnificent. About ten miles to the west could be seen Cape Maria Van Diemen, with the lighthouse standing on a small island a little way off the mainland. Further seawards could be seen in a blue haze the outline of the Three Kings Islands, the scene of many a shipwreck in the past. To the north lay an unbroken expanse of ocean as blue as the sky above it. To the east we could see the outline of the east coast from the North Cape down to Parengarenga, separated from Spirits Bay by a desolate expanse of sand and barren hills. Between Cape Maria Van Diemen and Spirits Bay stood out in bold relief the famous Te Reinga, whence the spirits of the Maoris were supposed to pass from this world to the next. At Te Reinga there is a rock with a hole in it, and it is through this hole that the Maoris believed their spirits to pass from daylight (this world) to darkness (the next). Hundreds of feet below us, line after line of breakers, glistening white in the sun as they broke, rolled in to Spirits Bay, a beautiful stretch of beach extending in a semi-circle for some five miles. It is from Spirits Bay that in March and April each year the godwits assemble for their annual flight to their breeding grounds in Siberia. Their departure from Spirits Bay ha§ been described by an eye-witness, Mr. James Buckland, some years ago:

The beach was literally covered With kuaka (godwit) ; they seemed to be all indiscriminately huddled together where there was tio room for half the number, while thousands were hovering overhead in a vain attempt to obtain a footing, or were trampling on the backs of their fellows in the hope of ousting them from their places. . . . During the afternoon flocks of kuaka kept pouring into the bay (Spirits Bay, near Te Reinga) at the extreme end of the North Island), each new lot adding to the mad unrest. . . .. At length, as the sun was dipping into the sea, an old cock uttered a strident call and shot straight into the air followed by an incalculable

feathered multitude. Higher and higher rose the host until it was but a stain in the sky. At this stupendous altitude, in a moment of time, as it seemed, the leader shaped his course due north, and the stain melted into the night. In this manner, and for ten days, flocks of kuaka continue to arrive at and depart from Spirits Bay. . . . With the coming of August—having meanwhile reared its brood—it begins the voyage to its southern home. As the young birds are at that time incapable of an extended flight, it returns much more leisurely than it went .... the spring sunshine of October welcomes the wanderer home to Te Reinga. The next day we walked along the beach to the eastern end of Spirits Bay, which was used by the Maoris as a burial ground. Here they used to hold their cannibal feasts, and buried the remains in the sand. We found a human skull and numerous ones strewn all over

the landscape. A stream flows through the sandhills, and when it floods in the winter time it lays bare row upon row of skeletons and the bones of dogs. It took us two and a half hours each way along the beach, which is of soft sand, though we stopped numerous times to bathe in the surf and in the lagoons which lie at the back of the sandhills. The next morning we were to commence our return journey, and felt very sorry to leave such a beautiful spot. We left at 9.30 a.in. the next morning, and arrived at Awanui about 24 hours later. From Awanui we biked to Mangonui on the East Coast, about 30 miles awav. Mangonui is a very pretty place, and we would like to have stayed longer. We had intended biking to Whangaroa and Russell, but unfortunately developed tire trouble, and .were obliged to take the boat home to Auckland. We arrived in Wellington, having travelled in the fortnight some fourteen hundred miles by train, boat, and push-bike. >'