Beach vacation in the Bay of Islands

For the past 6 days, we stayed at the Base Hostel in Paihia.

The first two days were rather rainy due to a cyclone in our area, although it was a pleasant 22°. So, we decided to go on a kayak tour off the coast of Paihia, following the motto 'we're already wet anyway'.

The remaining days were sunny and warm, perfect for going to the beach.

We took a ferry to Long Beach in Russel.

... and went on a bus tour to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand. Here, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, and you can see the different shades of blue.

On our way back, the bus took us along the 90 Mile Beach, where we stopped at a huge sand dune to go sandboarding. Sandboarding is relatively easy. You climb the dune with a board under your arm, lie down on it, and slide down.

Tomorrow we're heading back to Auckland to continue our journey to the south of the North Island....