Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand

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Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand

Ninety Mile Beach is a beach located on the western coast of the far north of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
.

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Encyclopedia

Ninety Mile Beach is a beach located on the western coast of the far north of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
of New Zealand

New Zealand

Kaitaia

Kaitaia is a town in the Northland Region of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupouri Peninsula which is about 160km northwest of Whangarei. It is the last major settlement on the main road north to the capes and bays on the peninsula....
towards Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is located over 100 km north of the nearest small town of Kaitaia....
along the Aupouri Peninsula

Aupouri Peninsula

The Aupouri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east....
. It begins close to the headland of Reef Point, to the west of Ahipara Bay, sweeping briefly northeast before turning northwest for the majority of its length. It ends at Scott Point, five km south of Cape Maria van Diemen

Cape Maria van Diemen

Cape Maria van Diemen is the westernmost point of the North Island of New Zealand. Being close to the northern tip of the Aupouri Peninsula, many people in New Zealand also incorrectly believe it to be the northernmost point ....
.

Etymology

The name Ninety Mile Beach is a misnomer because it is actually 55 miles (88 Kilometers) long. The reason for its name is unknown. Several theories have been put forward, the most common stemming from the days when missionaries travelled on horse back. On average a horse could travel 30 miles in a day before needing to be rested. The beach took three days to travel therefore earning it the title Ninety Mile Beach, but the missionaries did not take into account the slower pace of the horses walking in the sand, thus thinking they had travelled 90 miles when in fact they had only travelled 55.

Usage

The beach, and specifically the northern dunes are a famous tourist destination. The dunes, looking very much like a desert landscape, are an unexpected sight for travellers, especially if arriving from the landward side (as opposed to approaching them from along the beach). They are often used for bodyboarding

Bodyboarding

Bodyboarding is a derivative of Ocean surface wave riding. The average board consists of a small, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam. The board can be shaped and adapted to different riding styles, and size of rider....
.

In 1932, Ninety Mile Beach was used as the runway

Runway

A runway is a strip of land on an airport, on which aircraft can Takeoff and landing. Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface ....
for some of the earliest airmail

Airmail

Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send. Airmail may be the only option for sending mail to some destinations, such as overseas, if the mail cannot wait the time it would take to arrive by ship, sometimes weeks....
services between Australia and New Zealand. It is still used as an alternative road to State Highway 1

State Highway 1 (New Zealand)

State Highway 1 is the most significant road in the New Zealand New Zealand State Highway network. It runs the length of both main islands, and officially has two designations: SH 1N in the North Island and SH 1S in the South Island, but both sections appear on road signs and road atlases as SH 1....
north of Kaitaia, though mainly for tourist reasons, or when the main road is closed due to landslides or floods.