our trip up north part 1

Our trip up north part 1

Last week we left for the northern part of the north island. We stayed about 20-30 minutes away from whangarie in a town called nunguru. We stayed in a nice place that was right next to an estuary. The estuary was pretty and we went fishing there a couple times. It was about a 5 hour drive to whangarie, were we ate dinner at a really good place called the fat camel. It was a middle eastern restaurant and I got the camel kabob pita. The first full day we were there we went to sandy beach. That is one of my new favourite beaches. There was a stream running down the beach that we made sand castles by. Then we went boogie boarding for a while. I got the worst sand rash ever!!! Then i had lunch, then, went surfing for the first time!!!! It was awesome, it took me a while to get up the first time, but then it got easier, that was an awesome day, (besides the sand rash). The next day we went out into the estuary and paddled around a bit. After a while my dad came out and we paddled up into the mangroves. As we are paddling around my dad suddenly yells "STINGRAY!" Oscar and I were like, no way, and thought he was kidding. But then he herded it towards us, and it was coming right at us. We didn't see it until it was literally right below us! We followed it around a bit until it got cornered, it stuck its tail out of the water and shook it. It was pretty clear that it wanted us to leave. When we got back, my dad took my mom and sister out and Oscar and I got a snack. 

Surfing

Surfing

I have now been surfing 3 times. Surfing is very fun and I plan to surf much more in my time here. The picture you see above is shipwrecks bay outside Ahipara. It has the longest left handed ride in the world! A left handed wave is where you have to right to the left instead of to the right. What happens at this beach is that the waves crash in on the other side of the spur and the current whips them around all the way to the beach and you can get up to a 3 minute ride! Unfortunately I was to chicken to do the whole thing because if you didn't turn in time, then you got crushed against a reef. I only caught the small waves. The cool thing was that I turned and rode the length of the wave for the first time. When you surf, you have to paddle out past the break of the waves, then wait for a good wave. Once you see it coming you start paddling about 20 ft early to come to the right speed. Once you are soundly on the wave you pop up to a standing position. Then if you can, you turn and ride down the length of the wave. The professionals make it look so easy, but it is actually a lot harder. It took me quite a few tries to stand up for my first time. Surfing is a real rush, once you do it you will want to do it again. But you have to respect the ocean because it can get pretty scary out there.

after surfing

not the best picture