A highway on a beach? (Part 9)

We have left the Cape behind us and are heading toward home, sort of. We have to drive west just a bit first so we can drive along one of the most unusual highways in the world. We're headed toward Niney Mile Beach. 

That's right. Ninety Mile Beach is officially a highway, but it is one that requires four-wheel drive vehicles or buses like ours. (It was also once an airstrip.)

This is the last leg of our day's adventure. 

I could tell right away when he got on to 'Route Ninety Mile.' Gone was the feeling of concrete under our tires. Not that the going was completely smooth. It wasn't. The sand undulated as the waves had spread it in front of us and those of us at the back of the bus especially undulated in response. The driver steered us back and forth just a little as we proceeded southward along the beach and I could feel the subtle fish-tailing we did. Quite a unique feeling. 

Before long, we stopped along the beach to explore a little.

The beach is actually very firm underfoot. Any vehicle could drive on this surface. 

 And for a highway, there is remarkably little traffic. 

The tide was way out and the surf about average for this coast.  

Always something interesting to find in the sand.  

We're back in the bus again and now the driver decided to spray up a little surf...It was interesting. Another nice thing about driving down Ninety Mile Highway is that it is Straight! No hairpin curves every quarter mile. 

We have one more stop to make before returning home and that is for afternoon tea. We'd be stopping at Ka-Uri. Here is a place I'd like to get to know better. 

Our driver explained the meaning of the name to us. It is a play on words that unfortunately, I forgot. No problem, I wrote to the company and got this very nice reply:

"Kia Ora Doug,

Thanks for your enquiry,

The name Ka-Uri means “A Spark Of Life”

Ka-Uri was formally known as Ancient Kauri Kingdom. A Local Iwi (Tribe) Ngati Kuri purchased the business and rebranded - Giving the establishment a new spark of Life ‘Ka-Uri’ Ka = referring to a Spark ‘Uri= referring to Life. The word Ka-Uri also put together as one word is KAURI- Our main business product."

I've read some reviews of the business that said that it's food was average, that it's coffee was average, and worst of all, that it was (Oh, No) a tourist trap. 

It's true that it's located in the middle of nowhere, at a wide spot in the road. It's true that it's food and coffee was no better, but also, no worse than hundreds, okay, dozens of other cafes that I've tried. And I didn't mind a bit that they had a show room filled to the brim with  Kauri Wood gifts, some of them highly polished. Just the kind of thing that (oh, that word again) tourists love to buy in quantity to prove where they have been. 

Look beyond the cafe and the show room you nay-sayers. Don't you realize what the real story of Ka-Uri is? It's certainly not about coffee and scones. 

This company uses kauri trees that have been buried underground for tens of thousands of years. Talk about re-cycling. Their sawmill must be amazing.  All their milling process really. I would pay to see it.  They give people (yes, even tourist people) the chance to own a piece of history. 

I bought a couple of soap holders myself. Not that my soap needs a new way of being held. The little porcelin holder that Jeanne bought does a fine job. I bought them because I wanted to hold and then to own a piece of wood that is, give or take, 45,000 years old. What a marvelous treasure. 

When I did a post about the time Jeanne and I went to Galbraithe's Alehouse, I showed you a bar counter that was carbon-dated at 40,000 years. I can't help it. I get a kick out of that kind of stuff. 

Check it out again if you care to.
http://fostersoe.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/mothers-day-treat-2017.html

The other cool thing about the place is that they have a section of an ancient kauri log that a guy with a chainsaw carved into a spiral staircase. Take a look... 

There it is. It doesn't look as big from across the room as it does when standing next to it. 

Wow

We're at the top of it now. 

Arram is heading back down.

Inside

And about to exit. Amazing. 

When I stood at Galbraith's bar and rested my elbows on its 40,000 year-old surface, I felt a bit of awe that I could have such an experience. Now, I have a piece of my own to value and to hand down to others who may some day also appreciate this for what it is.  -djf