yeah ngawi and cape palasa are super cool.  also right up north is great, past kaitaia.  I went biking up there and loved it.  biking down 90 mile beach didn't do my bike any favours, but there was a cool little free camping spot half way down.  pushing your bike through the river at te paki is also interesting, but great.  i took a trip to waitangi too, which was informitive, and then ferried over to russel and biked around the coast to whangarei. very up and down, but very beautiful

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