Today, the majority of us signed up to do the full day Cape Reinga tour ($115 NZD). A few people did other things, like horseback riding, kayaking, or fishing, but almost everyone chose Cape Reinga. Breakfast was at 6:30, and then we left for Cape Reinga at 7:20.
One of the first things we did was travel to the most northern point, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. There were lots of green hills and a lighthouse there. Right away, I realized that New Zealand was COMPLETELY different from Australia. It is sooo much prettier!
Next, we stopped for a quick food stop (I had some banana bread), and made our way to 90 Mile Beach. It was too cold to swim, but I think a few people did anyway. This is where I met Jessie, who ended up being one of my best friends throughout the tour. We also had a short rainforest walk as part of the tour.
After that, we drove a little farther to a place that had giant sand dunes, and the guide taught us how to sandboard. Basically, you ride down a sand dune on a boogie board, kind of like sledding. He told us that if we were bad at stopping, we might end up in the water, so I didn't end up doing it 'cause I was wearing jeans and didn't want to get them wet. Hardly anyone made it to the water, and the ones who did were doing it on purpose, so in hindsight, I really should have done it. Oh, well.
At the end of the day, we stopped for fish and chips. I'm not usually a fish person, but it was actually pretty good. We were back to the hotel by about 6:45 that night, and I just stayed in and went to bed early.
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