Travel
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@MajorRage Can you stay somewhere near Cape Reinga over night on the way back? My recollection of a 2020 trip from Paihia to Cape Reinga was that stopping for lunch and a walk, half way there, made for an easy trip up, but after spending the day exploring the area, the trip back was pretty tiring. There is a lot of scenery to take in, so it's a nice drive. You will want to explore though.
I think it's Kaitaia or a few little spots around there Tim
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
@MajorRage said in Travel:
@canefan I’m in Paihia. So it’s 2:40 each way.
I’m really torn. I’ve dropped 1k gbp on stupid things before and that’s what this is ….
Just don’t want it be a complete lemon ….
It's a long drive. The reason why I've not done it with my kids yet
Pfft hahaha
It's all relative muthafucka 😉. Quite a drive to go from Paihia to CR, look around, then come back. We considered staying in Kaitaia overnight. I heard it's a bit of a hole
Wouldn't be wrong.
Coopers Beach, Taipa, Mangonui all options.
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Four of us stayed at a great place down by the beach at Cable Bay in 2018. An extra 30 mins or so past Kaitaia after you go to the Cape but well worth it.
Golden Sand Beachfront Accommodation
Absolute Beachfront Accommodation at Cable Bay, near Coopers Beach, Northland. Choose from 2 bedroom cottages or luxury honeymoon suites.
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I was in Russell last weekend. Awesome place whereas I think Paihia is an over-rated shit hole but different strokes...
BoI to Cape Reinga and back in a day is do-able but a bit of a ball buster and the roads are not in a good state at the moment. Plenty of good places to stay in Doubtless Bay /Mangonui area.
Personally I would give Tanemahuta a miss as if you have to choose between west and east coasts there is so much more to see on the East. If you do decide on the west coast route stop at Trounson Kauri Park not far from Tane. No one tree as magnificent as the old fella but a much more extensive stand of mature Kauri (15-20) in a beautiful setting. Nowhere near as crowded and an easy 30 minute loop.
Depending on your budget a helicopter flight over the Bay of Islands (up Cape Brett to Hole in the Rock and back over Urupukupuku Robertson's Island etc ) is a great experience and you'll see everything in 40 minutes rather than half a day.
sage at Paroa Bay is a fabulous vineyard restaurant with views over the Bay of Islands. The coastal route back to Whangarei is well worth taking but will add at least a couple of hours
Went to the Hundterwasser Museum at Whangarei Town Basin yesterday - well worth a stop for a peek and a bite to eat.
Northland is a gem
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Oh this is cool actually: https://disaster.cairns.qld.gov.au/
Love a bit of API-fed mappage.
Yeah. Real fucking cool.
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@NTA Yes, I'm sure the people trapped in or out of their homes in the Cairns area are waiting on tenterhooks to see where you book instead.
Cheers. My intent was not to sound like a heartless prick, of course.
However, I feel the need to explain that we've had a fluffybunny of a year, and we were just looking forward to a holiday without any stress.
I didn't particularly want to go sweat my fat arse off in Cairns in the middle of summer, but my wife wanted it after tossing around a few options. The risk of tropical storms and cyclones comes with the territory up there, I pointed out as part of our thinking at the time.
Given she'd recently buried both her parents in the space of 10 weeks - one after a 6-year battle with dementia that we all got to watch like a slowmo car crash - I was disinclined to refuse her at that point.
So while thankful for your reminder of the plight of the people suffering in FNQ, feel free to coat it in oil and shove it up your arse.
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
Yeah. Real fucking cool.
Again - not trying to be a heartless prick - that is a very good resource for disaster management.
Bringing together multiple sources to give people as much information as they can, particularly if they're unfamiliar with the area, is a very good way to help prevent more loss.
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Geez, 3 traffic incidents on the way up to Kaitaia from Auckland, including an upside down work truck in a ditch that must have happened mere minutes before we came round the bend. Emergency services are certainly quick to respond up here. Drive safe folks
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@Tim Can't remember right now, after Kawakawa I think, as that was where a dog going nuts bolting all over the road had caused someone to smash into a median barrier.
The truck just looked to have taken a downhill bend too fast and rocked off the inside verge before rocketing across the other side.
Third one was weird, long straight just before Kaeo I think, someone had just stopped in the middle of the road a hundred metres before the road works lights and was being attended to by a sole ambulance.
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Geez, 3 traffic incidents on the way up to Kaitaia from Auckland, including an upside down work truck in a ditch that must have happened mere minutes before we came round the bend. Emergency services are certainly quick to respond up here. Drive safe folks
The country is absolutely full of roadworks. Absolutely everywhere. It’s bloody annoying.
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Geez, 3 traffic incidents on the way up to Kaitaia from Auckland, including an upside down work truck in a ditch that must have happened mere minutes before we came round the bend. Emergency services are certainly quick to respond up here. Drive safe folks
The country is absolutely full of roadworks. Absolutely everywhere. It’s bloody annoying.
And all the other bits are filled with potholes
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
@MajorRage said in Travel:
@canefan I’m in Paihia. So it’s 2:40 each way.
I’m really torn. I’ve dropped 1k gbp on stupid things before and that’s what this is ….
Just don’t want it be a complete lemon ….
It's a long drive. The reason why I've not done it with my kids yet
Pfft hahaha
It's all relative muthafucka 😉. Quite a drive to go from Paihia to CR, look around, then come back. We considered staying in Kaitaia overnight. I heard it's a bit of a hole
That’s a polite way to describe it! I’m from a wee bit north of there and whilst I haven’t been up for a couple of years, I doubt anything has changed.
I’d personally bite the bullet and do the day drive mission if you are just looking to go there and back. But there are some sweet sights along the way without the need for much of a detour. Cable bay, coopers beach, cape Karikari, 90 mile beach, mongonui etc. All have varying levels of accommodation but if you are already booked in Paihia it’s probably a bit to headache to try and do that.
