Dolphins and Sand Boarding in Paihia, New Zealand

[Traveling Erik]

New Zealand's North Island has long been shadowed by the adventurous South, with its fjords, mountains and dramatic settings, boasting every watersport known to man. But the North is well worth visiting, too – so much so that the Traveling 
Reporter decided to dedicate a series to the forgotten island. This is the first part of New Zealand's Lost Island.

Paihia, Northland, New Zealand — The captain of our tour boat edges the ship up close to the huge cave that nature has carved out of a rock, rising high over the azure blue sea. The vessel stops for a moment, seems to hesitate. We, a bunch of tourists, stand on the foredeck in fascination of the imposing cliff towering above. 

The captain’s voice, heavy with New Zealand-ish accent, comes through the loudspeaker: “The waves makes this difficult… But I think we’re going to be OK! The boat has pretty good maneuverability,” he says reassuringly.

And then he charges ahead.

The rock encloses the boat as the engines thrust forward. Soon we all emerge on the other side. Without incident.

A tour boat sails into a nature-made cave off the coast of Paihia, northern New Zealand. Photo: TravelingReporter.com

Boat adventures like these are typical for The Bay of Islands (map below) and its small town ofPaihia on New Zealand’s North Island. I’ve arrived by bus from Auckland to spend a few days at this spot close to the country’s northernmost tip. And it turns out there are lots to do. Much of if happens on, and in, the water – there are loads of tours available for every taste. Here, you can embark as crew member on antique vintage ships, go fishing or kayaking, get on a speedboat trip, view the beautiful landscape from above on a helicopter ride, and explore the many islands from which the bay has gotten its name. Adventure tourism is plenty, and visitors who enjoy nature in general should be able to find at least one activity.

→ RELATED All parts of the series New Zealand's Lost Island

And then of course there are the dolphins. The dolphin tour concept, including swimming with wild dolphins, is a prime attraction in an area where the sea is part of most things that happen.

The captains of the tour boats communicate on radio to exchange the latest information regarding the dolphins’ whereabouts at any given time. The animals seem to come in pairs, at least, and we spot from a distance how one boat stops and then, for a brief second, a shiny dolphin fin emerges from the sea to show off for the tourists onboard.

 

In a chaotic scene on our tour boat, everyone hurries to get into the water in an attempt to get close to the wild animals.

“No touching!” explains the crew as the crowd jumps overboard. “These are wild animals, you shouldn’t touch them. They’re not used to humans.”

My snorkel has decided not to cooperate, and I am having serious trouble getting enough air while I swim towards the spot where a dolphin was last seen, trying to gaze down in the water at the same time.

Then, suddenly, they are there before me. Two dolphins, looking pretty much like sharks in my view, materialize from the blue depths and swim right towards me. I freeze, stunned. The animals take a wide turn, steer to the right — and disappear.

The moment is over as quick as it came.

All tour boats pass this rock off the coast. Photo: TravelingReporter.com

  

Many visitors to New Zealand invest their time and money on the South Island, which carries the mountains, the well-known fjords and the skiing. But if your flight schedule brings you to Auckland on the North Island, it would be a shame to miss out on the stunning scenes, the fun and the tranquility of the narrow peninsula north of Auckland. Much of the tourism industry here is centered at the town of Paihia, close the The Bay of Islands. The bay got its name from Captain James Cook who navigated these waters in 1769. To be honest, though, there isn’t much else to do in Paihia other than selecting out of the wide range of tours. A few restaurants, a grocery store and multiple nice surroundings suitable of walks make up most of what’s available.

 

Should you get bored with all the activities that the sea has to offer, there is always the sand boarding. This is one of the more bizarre activities around here: Climb a high sand dune, get on a small board, and glide down the hill in a sandy cloud.

Early one morning, I get on a bus that takes me on a round tour through a number of attractions around the peninsula. The cheerful driver does his best to weld the group together, inviting all members to play music from their Ipods on the bus’ speaker system.

“This is not really a bus,” he explains as it bounces violently down a dirt road towards a beach. “This is a terrain-going multi-purpose vehicle.”

We emerge on the Ninety Mile Beach, a long stretch of beach used by local New Zealanders as a road. Toyota Landcruisers are everywhere.

Having seen the beach, we then head for the sand boarding. The driver dives the bus down into a wet river bed, revving the engine to keep the vehicle moving. “You cannot stop here, if we stop we’re stuck,” yells the driver happily.

We finally stop on more solid ground at the sand dunes, dark and wet from the recent rain. Everyone is given a board, and the driver leads the group to a summit of sand. One by one, we lay on our belly and kick ourselves in motion.

The glide down om the sand is fast and hilariously fun. We get sand everywhere — underwear, cameras, eyes, mouths, wallets, hair.

Sand boarding in New Zealand. Photo: Traveling Reporter/Erik Bergin

 

The weather can often be rainy here in the north, so it’s a good idea to pack a light rain coat or plastic parka. As the bus tour arrives at one of its last stops, the lighthouse on New Zealand’s northernmost point, a place called Cape Rienga that is sacred to the natives, it starts to pour.

As if that weren’t enough, I make another disappointing discovery. My camera, it turns out, wasn’t ready to deal with the sand boarding. Now it refuses to focus. I make a mental note: Next time you decide it’s a good idea to glide down a sandy slope, leave the camera behind.

 

Fact box: Paihia

Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the historic towns of Russell, and Kerikeri, 60 kilometres north of Whangarei. Source: Wikipedia

Points of interest: Bay of Islands, Rainbow Warrior, Waitangi River, and more