Having made the decision to travel to Paihia, I really have
to travel to the northerly most point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga and its promise
of seeing the Tasman Sea meeting the Pacific. I have had to book a tour to take
this trip. The tour is excellent but at over NZ$100 I can already tell that my
budget is going to take quite a hit in New Zealand. Due to its popularity, the
tour had to be booked in advance and because of this I was unable to check on
the weather forecast. Which is why I am
standing in the wind and torrential rain waiting for the tour bus to pick me up
outside or the tourist office at 7am.