Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand
Ninety Mile Beach is a beach located on the western coast of the far north of the North Island of New Zealand.
The beach stretches from just north of Kaitaia towards Cape Reinga along the Aupouri Peninsula. It begins close to the headland of Reef Point, to the west of Ahipara Bay, sweeping briefly northwest before turning northeast for the majority of its length. It ends at Scott Point, five kilometres south of Cape Maria van Diemen.
The name Ninety Mile Beach is a misnomer - it is actually 55 miles (88 km) long. The reason for its name is unknown, although several theories have been put forward.
In 1932, Ninety Mile Beach was used as the runway for some of the earliest airmail services between Australia and New Zealand. It is still used as an alternative road to the largely poor quality official route north from Kaitaia.
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