Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Opotiki - Papamoa Beach

We had another great night with Noel and Judy. It was warmer in the night. Noel came home for morning tea (as the kiwifruit were wet) before we left, fueled, dumped and shopped in Opotiki and drove past Ohiwa Beach and around the harbour where we had lunch before continuing to Ohope Beach. This is a very flash beach resort with beautiful holiday homes overlooking the beach. We parked in large grassed area near the boat ramp overlooking the Ohope Harbour. We sat outside until it clouded over. It rained in the night.
Another sunny morning with breakfast outside. We followed a track to the entrance of the harbour, along the beach and then cut across the golf course to the club house with spectacular views of the Bay of Plenty.



We drove to Whakatane and walked around this lovely town, about the size of Oamaru. Another very short drive to Matata and a DOC camp on the beach. We sat in the sand hills and read enjoying the views in the hot sunshine.



It was cooler but still sunny and we drove to Pukehina Beach. We parked in an area beside the Surf Club at Dotterel Point and walked along the beach in a cool breeze. After lunch we walked the other direction to the entrance of the Waihi Estuary where the Dotterels nest.

It rained hard in the night and we shopped and dumped at Te Puke in heavy rain. We had lunch in the carpark before driving to Lynne and Gary’s at Gibson Place, Papamoa Beach. Gary parked us on the lawn in front of their house. They have a beautiful home with tropical plants and even a warm scent from them. We went for a short drive around Papamoa Beach to get our bearings.


The Americas Cup started today and we watched coverage with breakfast. It was a beautiful day and we sat outside until Glen, Tania, Sophie and Isla came around for lunch - pulled pork buns. Sophie is full on and has Gary wrapped around her little finger. Isla is a cutie and seems very happy and never cries or grizzles. Val got our sheets and towels washed and dried.

More sailing watching at breakfast time before we set out for a tiki tour of the Tauranga area.
We went up to a viewing point giving a perspective of the whole area. Amazing how many bays and inlets around.
We then went to McLaren Falls really pumping after the recent rain. Thru the city and over the bridge to Mt Maunganui where we followed a track around the Mt for about an hour.  The weather was great with warm sunshine.
 Back at “mini surfers” we sat outside at a cafĂ© and had lunch before the trip along the beach back to Papamoa Beach.















Gary and I took his quad bike down to the beach and Gary fished. Unfortunately there was a lot of very frustrating weed in the water but we did catch a huge crab. Lynne and Val walked down and met us just as the sun was setting.





More sailing before we set off with Lynne to her golf course at Te Puke. We were made very welcome and played as a team (plus one) in their veterans tournament. It was a 5 club day (only 5 clubs in the bag). The course was beautiful. Very park-like with specimen trees in their autumn colours. We played not badly considering the borrowed clubs and ended 4th equal and a meat pack each. Lynne cooked some Snapper Gary had caught earlier in the week. Delicious!!

We watched sailing again with breakfast, the last time for a while. We had a slow pack and are leaving Lynne and Gary’s today and will head to the other side of Tauranga for the night at Omokoroa Beach. Lynne & Gary will catch up with us again at the weekend in Paeroa.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Napier - Opotiki

Two cars did wheelies around our camp site last night at Clifton Beach. The promised rain started in the morning as we left our camp and shopped, fuelled up and bought LPG. We had arranged to meet Lynne and Gary at the free parking area on Marine Parade overlooking the ocean. They arrived about 2:30pm and we had a good catch up, did some trip planning and had the odd drink.

We dumped and then set off on the road to Gisborne in torrential rain. After a stop at Lake Tutira, a possible camping possie, we continued to Wairoa where we booked into a nice camping ground on the banks of the Wairoa river. The rain was bucketing down and a cold strong southerly had set in. We were happy to be on power. The river rose but well away from us.

After a quick shop we continued on the windy road towards Gisborne turning off and onto the Mahia Peninsula. The wind continued but the rain turned into heavy showers. We reckoned that we had never had such a wet 24 hours in a camper! We drove most of the roads on the peninsular with great beaches on either side. Our camp for the night was at Opoutama Beach facing S/W with the southerly still blowing hard and the odd cold shower. The forecast was looking better however.

The rain cleared in the morning and the wind dropped. We stopped in Gisborne for a look. The girls bought jerseys at Kathmandu. The road followed the coast with great sea views and then turned inland before we drove back down to the coast at Tolaga Bay. We booked into the camp and were able to have lunch outside! After dinner we taught Lynne and Gary to play golf.
We took our fishing gear along the longest concrete wharf in NZ.
The views were spectacular - much better than the fishing! Some of the local kids were jumping off the wharf and the view of the surfers from side on was great.
After breakfast Val and I walked to Cook’s Cove, a track thru farmland to a lookout and then down thru the bush to the cove where Captain Cook first landed in NZ, took on water and meet some friendly Maoris. It was a 6km walk.









 We continued and had lunch on Anaura Bay before catching up with Lynne and Gary on the beach at Tokomaru Bay where Gary was fishing.




We drove around to the Te Puka Tavern and stayed in the carpark with power, overlooking the ocean. Drinks and dinner at the tavern.
After dumping we drove thru to Ruatoria and at Tikitiki we visited the beautiful St Mary’s Catholic Church with great Maori carvings and panels. 

At Te Araroa we left Lynne and Gary and drove 20kms on a rough road to the lighthouse at East Cape. We climbed the 800 steps to the eastern most lighthouse in the world. Very remote and great views in all directions. Back at Te Araroa we camped at a POP at Morepork’s Rest, an old house now a backpackers.





We drove thru Hicks Bay and out to spectacular views at Lottin Point. The weather had packed up and we had rain and strong nor’easterlies with huge seas pounding in. After rounding the “corner” at East Cape the country has change with lush bush, very much like the West Coast which, in reality, it is.
We drove thru Waihau Bay to Maraehako Bay and stayed at Bea’s camp. We drove down to the bay and watched Gary fish in strong winds with the odd heavy shower. We retreated away from the shoreline to a more sheltered area for the night.

It was only a short drive to a camp at Te Kaha and a sheltered site. The sun shone for the first time in a while so we enjoyed a barbeque sausage for lunch and a walk.







We drove on around the coast and across the Motu River to our next stop at a POP at Maraenui. What a fantastic place with great sites overlooking the bay, toilet and shower and even an outside fireplace. Gary tried to fish in the pounding surf. It was sunny and we were sheltered from the strong westerly wind. It cooled in the afternoon so we light the outside fire shelter fire using the driftwood from the beach. We had a drink (or two) and made toast, baked potatoes and had dinner in front of the great fire.
The forecast for the next few days was not great so Lynne and Gary decided (understandably) decided to go home.
We decided to stay put but changed sites to be on power. The rain set in at lunch time. Later it stopped so we had a brisk walk along the beach.

It was really cold in the morning and we were glad to be on power. As we need to dump we headed to a camp at Tirohanga Beach close to Opotiki. The sun was out so we biked a 6km cycleway along the sand dunes into Opotiki, a nice ride and then relaxed in the sunshine until it set.

We stopped for lunch at Hukuwai Beach overlooking the bay with White Island steaming on the horizon, another beautiful day. After a shop, we drove to Noel and Judy’s home and parked in their driveway. They have a lovely house high on the tablelands with a view to die for, over the bay.


 Noel was driving the kiwi fruit trucks and there is another couple, Barry and Anne, staying in their camper doing the same thing. Noel and Barry arrived home and we all had a few drinks and a great meal.


Noel picked me up in the truck and trailer and I spent the morning learning the kiwi fruit trade. It was fascinating watching the fruit being picked and then loaded onto the truck to go to the packing facility. Val, Judy, Anne and Lottie (the dog) went for a walk along the local beach. In the afternoon the cloud came over and I think we are in for some rain over the next few days.

 






East Coast Trip 2017 - Christchurch - Napier

Hi All,

We had a good drive thru the centre stopping at Marble Hill for lunch. The traffic was better than we expected but there were few queues behind trucks and slow campers.
Our overnight stop was at the West Bay DOC camp at Lake Rotoiti. After choosing a site was walked a track around the lake to the DOC HQ and checked in.

On the road and into the sun down the Wairau Valley to Picton. Our Bluebridge sailing was at 2:00pm so we filled in time walking around the town and the foreshore before checking in. A bit of a surprise here as we discovered that we had only booked ourselves and not “Joy”. Thought the ticket was very cheap! Fortunately, we sorted the problem out (another $105). The forecast was for a southerly change in the afternoon but although it was very windy the sea was flat much to Val’s relief. The boat was great. New, clean and with good food etc. Quite a change from our last crossing with Interislander. As we came off in Wellington the promised southerly arrived and it was a miserable drive in the rain and dark to Upper Hutt where we stayed in Diana and Neil’s drive. (Diana was Val’s workmate a Bernina). We had a great night with them catching up on the gossip. We finished up in their spa in the howling southerly.

The weather for the drive over the Rimutaka Hill was rainy and even some hail at the top. At Featherston we bought drugs for Val’s cold and visited the Fell Train Museum.
These engines hauled the trains up from Featherston to the summit of the Rimutakas before the tunnel was built. They use a centre rail to increase the drive power. The weather improved and was sunny when we arrived in Martinborough where we stayed in a camp. It was a short walk into the town which has some great old buildings set around a central square.

The next morning, we biked around the vineyards. The wine growing area is quite small. Our next destination was Castlepoint on the South Wairarapa coast. It was a long windy road thru lovely farming country which reminded us of North Canterbury.





The lighthouse at Castlepoint is spectacular and we camped in the carpark with about 9 others. It was a nice walk around the lighthouse and we sat outside until the sun set.
The next morning the norwester set in and we walked a track to the top of Castlepoint nearly getting blown off at times. We returned along the beach with the wind behind us sandblasting our legs.
 Our camp was nice and sheltered however. In the afternoon we walked into the small town with the wind ever stronger. After we went to bed the wind changed to a southerly. Eventually we got sick of “Joy” rocking so we turned into the wind.





After another walk up to the lighthouse we drove back out to Masterton and parked in the Masterton Club for the night and then walked the main street.

We followed SH 2 to Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre where we walked around the various aviaries.
The birds were hard to spot! The kiwi was very good however and we enjoyed the feeding of the Tuataras.
Our next stop was at Mangatainoka. This is where the iconic Tui Brewery is with the building featuring in the ad with the girls. Did not see the girls however. We parked in a great reserve with the brewery in the background and walked back for a couple of beers and a late lunch in the outdoor bar area.
A nice hot morning so we sat outside before a short drive thru Woodville and Dargaville to Waipukurau where we stopped in a camp for laundry use. We walked the main street which was a bit depressing and back via a nice park with sports field, swimming pool, sports hall, and skate park. Much more positive!

Back on SH2 and thru the nice town of Waipawa where we turned down to the coast at Kairakau Beach. We camped on a free area with beautiful views of the ocean. The walk along the beach and back past the very tidy batches. The sun set early as there are step hills behind us.
In the morning at low tide we walked the other way on the beach and around into the next bay. It was another sunny day but as soon as the sun set we were inside as the air temperature was cool.

We drove down a valley behind Te Mata Peak to Havelock North and stop at the Clifton Rd Reserve right on the stone beach. Val did a big hand wash as the weather is still perfect.

Another mild night a warm morning. We packed our lunch and set off for the 21km ride to Napier along a smooth flat cycleway following the coast, rivers and wet lands. It was a great ride. It is amazing how far you can ride on a good cycleway like this one. After eating our lunch on Marine Parade, we headed back the 21kms to our camp. Our legs could feel the 42kms. We meet up with Gary and Lynne tomorrow. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the next few days is not good and even the tail of Cyclone Donna may catch us