Ninety Mile Beach

Te Oneroa-a-Tohe runs up the western side of the Aupouri Peninsula toward Cape Reinga - about eighty-eight kilometres, not ninety miles, the name apparently coming from a miscalculation of how far missionaries' horses travelled in a day. It is gazetted as a public highway and coaches drive it as part of Cape Reinga tours, using the tide and entering and leaving by specific stream beds. That is the crucial practical point: the sand is firm only in a band that shifts with the tide, streams cut channels, and vehicles that stop, wander or get the timing wrong are swallowed. Rental car agreements exclude the beach entirely, so a stuck car is uninsured. Toheroa, a large shellfish once harvested here commercially, are now closed to taking. The Te Paki sand dunes at the northern end, where people sandboard on hired boogie boards, are usually the same trip.

History

In the days of sailing ships a number of vessels were wrecked on the beach, and in 1932 it served as the runway for some of the earliest airmail flights between Australia and New Zealand. It became part of the long-distance trail Te Araroa when that opened in 2011 (Wikipedia, Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand).

What's there

• The 88 kilometres - a beach that is legally a road.
• The Te Paki dunes - sandboarding at the northern end.
• The tide-dependent driving - coaches timing the firm band.
• The empty sweep - almost nothing built along its length.

When to go

November to April, and only with a tour operator unless you know the beach. Driving depends on the tide, so departure times are set by it rather than by convenience.

Good to know

Do not drive a rental car on it - the insurance does not cover the beach and cars are lost here every year. Swimming is unpatrolled with strong rips. On a grey day it is a very long stretch of nothing.

Nearby

Cape Reinga is at the northern end; Kaitaia and Ahipara are at the southern.

Key facts