New Zealand – rainy Cape Reinga, the Sahara, and the World’s Prettiest Toilet

Cape Reinga is the place where, according to Māori tradition, spirits begin their journey to the afterlife. Route 1 takes you here, ending at the northernmost lighthouse in New Zealand. It’s also the spot where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. And yes, the road here really felt like it led straight to edge of the world —accompanied by sheets of rain and gusty wind.

There was nothing happening on the road, zero civilisation around, and out of boredom, I found myself dancing to the rhythm of the windshield wipers. The track seemed endless, twisting along a narrow strip of land like a miniature peninsula—kind of like the Hel Peninsula, but in dramatic mode. Grey, gloomy, but incredibly atmospheric. The climax at the end? Perhaps not so much the view, more the rain 😉

On the way back for Cape Reinga, I decided to spice things up by heading towards the Te Paki Sand Dunes. I expected modest, sandy mounds—but in front of my car’s bonnet, a proper Sahara rose up. The dunes stretch for about 10 kilometres and reach up to 150 metres high. Absolutely insane. Seriously, I never imagined something like this could exist in New Zealand.

The Te Paki Sand Dunes lie right next to the legendary Ninety Mile Beach, which in fact is only about 55 miles. It’s a rather peculiar stretch of “highway,” running… along a beach as wide as a main road. Yes, sand instead of asphalt, waves instead of guardrails. Opinions on driving here are polarised. Those who make it say, “all good, no drama.” Those who get stuck… let’s just say the language gets more “sophisticated”.

Technically, you don’t need a 4×4 but in practice, even those cars can gracefully become permanent fixtures in the landscape. And yes, there are no petrol stations. Imagine the story if someone got stuck here permanently for lack of fuel 😀 But to be serious, locals point three golden rules: go only at low tide, avoid soft sand, and never drive through seawater.

And now for the 100-point question: where can you drive straight from the desert? Of course to a dense, humid forest. Welcome to New Zealand, where there’s no time for acclimatisation. But Waipoua Forest isn’t just any forest, it’s a forest of giants. Kauri trees grow here, some of the tallest in the world (just after the sequoias). Tāne Mahuta, the largest kauri in New Zealand and absolute lord of this green jungle, measures 51 metres tall, 13 metres around the trunk, and is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years old.

The best way to end a North Island road trip? In the least obvious way: in a toilet. The Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa are undoubtedly the most beautiful toilets in the world—and also the last project of the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

Their signature colourful mosaics and wavy lines look like a miniature version of the Kunst Haus Wien in Vienna. The difference? This isn’t just an art gallery, it’s practical art!