Next stop: Ahipara - 90 Mile Beach

Actually, TECHNICALLY  the next stop was Ngawha Springs.  Someone had described the springs as 'rustic'.  Not wrong.  But we like rustic.  We also like hot pools and smelling insanely sulphuric in a small space like a caravan for days.  Ok, parts of that might be made up, but we like rustic AND we like cheap! Tick. And tick.
Next stop was a random 'slam on the brakes because DH has seen a lake and wants to have a kayak on it' affair. Lake Omapere.  Really cool spot and locals drive down in vans and kids pile out and straight in for swims.
Next stop - Ahipara.  Was windy and wild so when we set foot on 90 Mile Beach it was a slight microdermabrasion experiment with the sand blasting.