One of my big plans for this trip was to kite 90 Mile Beach in the north of New Zealand. But the wind forecast had been more than poor for days and for our entire time travelling in the Northland. In Kaitaia, the last major town before the wilderness in the north, we fill up with food and petrol. Then it’s off to the beach in Ahipara by car.
The 90 Mile Beaach is marked as an official highway on all New Zealand road maps. Last time we managed 153km/h without any problems. This time we don’t make it that far. After two small river crossings, I spot a kite on the beach. Kite instructor Leslie says the wind here is always stronger than forecast when it’s sunny. He’s right.
Uli and Dries help me with my board and kite. In the first wave, my chicken stick goes off, the kite unhooks and stalls. Fit a replacement, relaunch and head out to sea. At 60 kilometres, the 90 Mile Beach is not endless. But at low tide with a 200 m wide, gently sloping beach and practically no people for several kilometres, it seems endless, especially when viewed from the seaward side. Behind me the sun sinks into the late afternoon, in front of me the dunes glow, to the left and right waves up to 1.5 metres high roar.
The wind carries me 15 kilometres to the north. I am the only kiter on the entire beach. Space. Endless expanses. After a good hour, the wind dies down a little. The beach profile fluctuates significantly, especially when small rivers flow into the sea. The break points of the waves are difficult to read. Some big waves catch me cleanly and give me a good wash. But none of that matters. Bliss and travelling kite at 90 Mile Beach. Uli and Dries followed in the car right on the beach. I land in the middle of nowhere with a grin stretching two and a half times round my head.
We drive another two kilometres, find a driveway into the dunes behind the beach that’s suitable for two-wheelers and take the most fantastic wild campsite you can imagine. Seagulls, trees, a small stream and a jeep on the beach every half hour. Into the wild. At last.
Uli and Dries have collected mussels. Steak, potatoes and mussels from the barbecue. Served with salad, wine and a sunset that even Bob Ross could only fail at. Fall asleep happily to the sound of the sea. Life is beautiful…
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.