The drive north from Auckland feels like leaving one world for another. At first, you’re navigating suburban roads and the occasional traffic light, still close enough to the city to grab a last-minute coffee. Half an hour later, the streets have narrowed, and you’re passing fields scattered with sheep and cattle, their heads lifting lazily as you drive by. Then, almost without warning, the dunes appear. They rise and fall like sleeping giants, shielding what lies beyond from view. Somewhere behind them sits Te Arai Links—though you wouldn’t know it from the water.

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