Trail Taster in the far north, N.Z.

Twilight Beach

I really was on a surf trip, but I never leave home without my trail shoes nowadays. Surf, like many things, is unreliable. But you can always put on your running shoes, as I did, leaving my surfboards with friends on 90 mile beach in Northland and running the trails near Cape Reinga.

It was a shortish run really waiting for the tide to clean up the swell, running just over 2 hours, but the topography changed rapidly on the Te Paki Coastal Track, Northland.

Highlights were running on hard packed orange clay trails over a plateau that gave no indication of been near the ocean, then cliff top running watching surging seas breaking over hidden reefs and a quick descent to Twilight beach.

Twilight beach is a vast cove, exposed to the sea swell and desolate. Awesome!  I enjoyed watching the sand blowing across the beach surface and the big rollers breaking across the bay.

Amazingly I had never visited the far north of the North Island before, however the Te Paki Track and other trails around the Cape and on to Spirits Bay look to be a real awesome day out. I will be back soon! 

 

Te Paki Coastal Track, New Zealand.