September 07, 2020

Late Winter 4WD Hidden Sand dune Adventure - Far North NZ

The Far North of New Zealand is not known as a premier 4WD expedition destination and little is known in the way of where to go and how to find the tracks.

Over the years the gems have started to become discovered and some have gone from a desolate remote summer wonderland to sometimes a highway of rooftop tents, truck burnouts and surfboards - even in the winter. Ahipara is definitely one of the examples (not where this trip took place mind you). 
Unlike the South Island, up here there is a limited range of access where most of the DOC and public land is cut off by Iwi communities that don’t share the access. Furthermore, many of the public land access is illegally blocked off by Iwi and locals and is uncontested by the 4WD community leaving us with lost land access for good. Waikato Bay access which is administered by DOC and owned by the public is a good example of this (if you’re not familiar with the area it is next to Matai Bay). It is not impossible to get land access rights back but it is a process and needs to be pursued through the correct channels. It would be awesome if someone started an organisation to protect and preserve 4WD access interests which we serve many generations. 

There are still many beautiful public getaways where you’ll be the only tracks insight, tracks that are kept far from public ears. Much like this spot where the only traffic for the day was a solo horsewoman strolling up the beach.

The entrance is a hidden short but deep river crossing that needs a snorkel if you drive it during heavy rainfall. A short drive through the closed bush, scrub and winding sand climbs and you have arrived at the main divide of sand dunes. These sand dunes are around 1.5km long and 500m wide with endless camping spots. Somehow the dunes have come out of an old water bed where you can find remnants of damp sand and a wide grassy oasis in the middle. Probably a spot where if you dug a well you would get a pure water spring. The 4WDing around here is moderate to easy in difficultly with many drop-offs, small climbs and the odd sinkhole. We managed to get ourselves stuck pretty deep requiring some tight Maxtrax recovery. Maxtrax is the only real recovery tool kit you need for this area as there is nowhere to winch off unless you dig a sand anchor. There were some tight and hidden scrubby little tracks, a little too tight for the 60 as I wasn’t keen to get scratches all over. Overall the 60 series was a little low having multiple hill-lip chassis rubs and both front and rear getting some sand scrappage, but otherwise, it performed flawlessly. 

Coming out of these epic dunes we were greeted by the pristine beach which is sheltered by the bay making it a great spot for a swim. Winter has some cold 14°C ocean seawater but there’s no excuse for not getting in. We were met by the horse walker, the only other soul we saw this day.
New Zealand is such an amazing place to explore and you can’t go wrong just getting out there and doing it yourself.

You don’t need much for an adventure like this, just some good company, a few beers and some Explorey products to get you through.