As going to the northernmost end of New Zealand would involve a 3 hour drive in each direction, I decided to go on a coach trip. This involved a sort of coach / lorry combination with 4 wheel drive which allowed us to go on the 90 mile beach.

Which is actually only 88 kilometres long. It was named by Captain Cook on his first visit when he reckoned it was a 90 (nautical) mile desert. Apparently the whole of the north end of the country is an enormous pile of sand from an enormous volcanic explosion a couple of million years ago. You learn such fab stuff, following me around the world.

The beach is a legal road but ordinary cars regularly get stuck and no insurance will cover you. We drove 70km on it and then the young persons (and some of those who should know better) went boogie boarding down a dune.

We then went to Cape Reinga which is (almost) the most northerly point. You can’t actually get to the most northerly point. There is a lighthouse and the tree sticking out of the rock on the right is the top of the staircase to the underworld for all Maori spirits. Beyond the lighthouse, two seas meet – the Tasman on the left and the Pacific on the right. It is normally much windier than it was today and , apparently, you can see the waves clashing into each other. Bumped into a German couple from the cruise ship. Small world eh?