From Russell, it was a three hour drive up and over what New Zealanders call the Far North, the very northern frontier of their country, along two lane blacktop roads that are virtually empty.

Even though this is the most northern and therefore wamest part of the country, it is sparsely populated, and mostly agricultural. Tourism is a growing part of the equation, howver, not surprising, given the beauty of the beaches and green hills. I took the ferry back over to Paihia. then followed State Route 10 to Mangonui, a small town on a pretty cove on Doubtless Bay.

I stopped in for a BLT there--these are on most menus up north, and theybear little resemblance to their North American counterparts.

On homemade bread with thick slabs of bacon with lots of fresh vegetables, they make a hearty lunch.

I got to Ahipara by 1, and from there another 15 minutes to Taharangi Marie Lodge on the south end of 90-mile beach, one of the longest hiking routes in New Zealand, which starts here and goes all the way to Cape Reinga, the northern imost point in New Zealand and one that resonates with the mythology of the Maori Culture.

When I arrived, owner Ron Adams drove me south along the beaches where he regularly harvests dinner for the lodge guests, super fresh seafood meals of abalone and clams. Ron knows the area as well as anyone, and his wife Connie and young son make you feel like you've come home. This is the quintessential Kiwi lodging up here in the far north, shared when I was there by two European couples, one from Germany and one from Britain. The couples occupied the upstairs rooms at the lodge proper, while I had my own house down by the beach. I was lord of my own mannor, and it's a place I hope to return to again, when I've got more time to absorb the tranquil beauty of this remote coast.

This wild West Coast has a totally different feel than the the Bay of Islands, reflecting just how diverse the "northland" can be. Tomorrow I'll do the long, and difficult Herikino Track through some of the last virgin forest in New Zealand.