Heading back to one of my all time favourites, the Far North! 90 Mile Beach, awesome harbour ferries, cool things to see and endless gravel roads - it's pretty awesome!
Paponga Road is another great shortcut road to take from where the Hokianga ferry lands in Kohukohu (from Rawene) to Broadwood. The road makes its way through a good mixture of bush and farmland and is nice windy gravel with a good surface, but due to its narrowness caution is definitely advised!
Takahue Saddle Road, traverses the Takahue Saddle in the Raetea Forest. It was once used to link the the towns of Takahue in the North and Broadwood in the South, but has long since fallen into disuse and reverted to a paper road. Some evidence of this is a Hall and a Church at either end also in the track composition.
Both ends start out as gravel and if travelling from the South the track soon narrows and degrades and you come across a water hole which had a relatively solid base before crossing the Reremapere Stream. Directly after the stream is a steep climb just out of sight so maintaining some momentum would be advisable. From there it’s fairly straight forward but there are slips, holes and drops on both sides of the track to be wary off. Because of this it should not be attempted alone. It may be easier to travel from North to South, but the stream and water hole is at the southern end and gets you a look at this first up.
From the summit to the North end you may encounter trampers as this section is used in the Te Araroa Trail. There is also a campground (fee by donation) on the northern side.
Cruise down one of the longest continuous stretches of beach anywhere in the country taking in the views on both sides.
Hang around in the evening to watch the sun go down over the ocean.
Te Paki Stream is the northernmost entry/exit point to 90 Mile Beach and can be a bit of fun when there's some water around. The sand can be pretty soft in summer when there's been no rain.
Remember to bring your 'dune sliding device' and have a hoon on the way past.
Roughly halfway along Te Hapua Road, Spirits Bay Road heads off to the North and ends at the Spirits Bay DOC campsite. Spirits Bay is actually slightly North of Cape Reinga so this is the northern most public road and campsite in New Zealand.
Both Te Hapua and Spirits Bay roads are wide and well groomed gravel.
Spirits Bay DOC campsite: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/places/te-paki-recreation-reserve/things-to-do/campsites/kapowairua-spirits-bay-campsite/
Camp with lush forests and sandy beaches in close range. Kapowairua is a place to relax, enjoy and explore the great outdoors.
Te Hapua Road is a few km below Te Paki Stream Road, the North end of 90 Mile Beach and heads out to the settlement it’s named after. Te Hapua is a very small village where the cows and horses roam free from section to section grazing on the lawns.
Head down to the stunning Rarawa Beach - you can even drive on the beach here. Remember to watch out for people on the beach during busy times.
Access at high tide will be tricky depending on how far you want to go and watch out for the super soft section between the tide lines.