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Published: April 17th 2009
Tuesday 7th April 2009 Darkness in a DOC campsite in the bush isnt always a good thing. We lay in bed listening to stags roaring. Loudly. Getting up in the night to visit the compost long drops involved not looking at several pairs of eyes glowing in the dark at us. Not to mention the bush rustling...
We were up and out reasonably early, back down the forest road to Kawerau and on to Whakatane. We stopped briefly to load up the last blog (free wireless in the i-site, bit slow though and wouldnt let us check the blog to make sure it was ok!) then headed out again. Most of you know that we arent good at sitting around, and this trip is short enough that we cant sit around for too long (except for right now, Thursday evening, but we'll come to why we arent doing much later...!!)
We followed the coast round to Opotiki then turned right. The road from Opotiki was almost dead straight leading into some pretty big hills, and thats where this “lets follow the coast road” trip took us next. As soon as the road got the hills - the Waioeka
Gorge - it stopped being nice and straight. We wound for km after km through the gorge, stunning scenery, slowly gaining altitude, river at the bottom, steep bush clad hills rising above us. For the most part the road was only 5-10m above the river. The river bed was wide and stony, the river itself much narrower. Winding between the hills, we kept on through the Waioeka Gorge Scenic Reserve and straight out the other side - we had a plan, a waterfall to see! We crossed the pass at 725m and headed down to Matawai, surrounded by sheep stations with the odd beef herd on the flatter areas. At Matawai we turned left to Motu and onto Motu Falls. This was somewhere Colin had been talking about going to since we started looking at the East Cape trip. I hadnt heard much about it, it was just somewhere marked on the map.
The falls themselves were ok, nothing spectacular (remember, we've been to Iguazu, Victoria, Niagara...), but a nice enough stop. Its what happened next that was special.
We read the sign boards by the falls, at the start of a walk through the Whinray Scenic Reserve,
read about the falls, the reserve, the wildlife, the birdlife, in the reserve and how they are trying to protect it, about the North Island Brown Kiwi, the North Island Weka that only lives in this area, that there are only 2000-3000 left (I need to check exactly how many now, the signs were a few years old). So off we went down the track, planning to walk 20 minutes or so the come back and find another DOC camp for the night.
Its a really nice reserve, the little bit we saw. We didnt get far down the track, through the thick bush. We were wandering along, chatting quietly, appreciating the surroundings, when I (Karen) heard a rustling in the leaves just off the path. The land was pretty steep, the path cut out of the side of a hill, the only flat place around with bush rising steeply on one side and falling steeply on the other. So this rustling was below us, something was behind a stump, something that didnt move as we approached. A possum? Stoat? Surely not another wallaby?! We stopped, I stared into the gloom, Colin was muttering at me not knowing why
I'd stopped, what I could see / hear...there was a bird, standing tall like a kiwi does, like any bird with no wings does, it was completely unafraid of us, kept nosing about in the leaves, finally showing enough of itself for me to identify it. Was it a kiwi? No such luck - neither of us have seen one in the wild yet. No, it was one of the few remaining Weka. Such a cute little bird, it wandered up onto the path, coming towards us, not bothered by us standing there, rustling through the leaves looking for bugs. And that was about as far as we got through the bush. We stood there watching this bird for a good 5 minutes, the only time it seemed afraid of us was when Colin sneezed. As many of you know, his sneezes are a bit long and noisy. Enough to scare anything. But they didnt faze this weka for long. It soon came back onto the path, ate a few more bugs, and wandered off up the hill.
And thats been the highlight of the trip so far. Its going to take something pretty special to out-do that. Like
Howes Truss bridge, Waioeka Gorge
We camped right by this historic bridge at a neat little DOC campthat elusive kiwi maybe...
We stopped for the night at a lovely DOC site part way back down the Waioeka Gorge - Manganuku camp - beside a river and by a historic Howe truss bridge. Didnt mean much to me either! But the bridge was quite neat, old, and obviously important to those into bridges. There was one other couple at the site in an old ex-Maui rental van, nice people from Tauranga, stopped and had a chat with us. The lady was trying to convince us that the road through the gorge wasnt that bad really. She obviously hadnt driven up through Northland before, the road through the gorge is so much better than anything we get at home!
Wednesday 8th April 2009 We thought about following one of the two tracks that leave from the Manganuku camp, but the forecast rain had arrived, and walking through bush on a slippery clay track in the rain wasnt all that appealing. So we headed back along the gorge towards Opotiki, stopping here and there for some scenic pics, and stopping at another historic bridge, this time a “Tauranga Bridge”. There was a 10 minute walk to the
Tauranga Bridge
Another historic bridge in the Waioeka Gorge bridge and a few hour loop walk from the bridge. We took one end of the loop until we could get no further - creek, no bridge, no plan for getting wet feet - then wandered the other side of the loop for a bit. The weather hadn't picked up much, and while it wasnt raining here, there was always the threat. So after walking up into the hills a while, away from the river, we turned round and came back to the van. The heater works really well in the wedge! And we can turn it off when we are toasty. Last time we needed it in the split, crossing the Desert Road, we couldnt get it turned off again after and drove with the windows open to cool down! Modern technology eh?!?!
We did a little drive by of the main old buildings in Opotiki, according to a leaflet we'd picked up in Whakatane. Some of them are really neat, Art Deco mainly, and need a second visit when we have time (Colin was in a driving mood, we must have had somewhere to get to...) From Opotiki we struck the Pacific Coast Highway round East Cape.
Finally, the road, the part of the road, the part of Aotearoa, this trip was about.
The scenery was stunning, the beaches empty and wild, the roads almost deserted. There really wasnt an awful lot to stop and look at. The clouds had lifted, the sun had come out, the wind was still blowing a bit, but that was all. The road followed the coast most of the way, just heading inland now and then when an headland came down too steeply into the sea. We stopped a couple of times at beaches, but didnt even think about swimming. The beaches were all stoney, small, smooth stones, from a distance looking like grey sand, covered with so much drift wood. We wondered why no-one had gone down there with a chain saw and trailer and sorted themselves out with several winters worth of firewood. But the ocean kept pounding the beach, wave after wave, rolling in from a ways out, crashing onto the shingle. Not much hope of surf casting either here.
On and on we drove, past bay after bay, all with their own little campgrounds, some more appealing than others, but it was still too early
Hicks Bay
The wind was so strong here that it looked like the surf couldnt break! to stop, and we had heaps to see, Friday was getting closer and closer, Napier was still miles away.
We stopped at Hicks Bay and walked out along the wharf. Battered, broken and abandoned, it stuck out along the cliff reminding all of the past. The first of a few wharves we walked out along, the shortest and possibly the most battered. It was also incredibly windy. Looking along the beach, it was cool watching the surf try and crash on the beach with the wind pushing hard the other way. Sometimes it was like the surf couldnt break the wind was so strong.
We drove the short distance further into Te Araroa, the closest town (although town is a bit of a big name for the place) to East Cape. We stopped at a manuka products factory, soap, creams, lotions, teas etc, and were incredibly civilised and had a pot of tea each. I felt so strange, so grown up, having a pot of tea. Usually I'd have a juice, a pop, never tea. But there we were, a different type of manuka tea each. Sorry Mum, but boy did I feel like my mother!!
We
camped the night in a real campground at Te Araroa. Nothing special, run down, only other people there were either in their fancy caravans and motorhomes and didnt need the parks facilities, or were migrant workers. And us. But we needed a shower ;o) When we finally worked out how to get there, we went for a long walk along the beach, heaps of firewood (we could load up the kombi...), bits of long dead animal (bones), one fin (wrong size for us, even if there had been a pair), and the usual crashing waves. Beautiful, abandoned, bleak, windswept, salt spray in the air, not another soul for miles (it felt like), sandblasted...
Thursday 9th April 2009 Boy were we up early this morning. And for what? The sun didnt deign to rise for us! It more made an appearance later in the morning. Long after we'd gotten up.
We got up way before dawn and drove out the East Cape, to the end of the road, to the lighthouse - and it felt like we were driving to the end of the earth to get there. Admittedly the road was sealed for far longer than we
Looking south from East Cape just after sunrise
Not the most impressive of sunrises unfortunately expected, but it curved along the coast hugging the cliff. We werent the first out there, there were a couple of cars already parked up, and another turned up as we started hiking up the hill. The lady in the manuka place told us it was a 30 minute drive to the end of the road (correct) and a 20 minute hike up the hill (pretty accurate too). There was supposed to be 720 steps up, but we didnt count, it was just steep and long! OK, so we hadnt had breakfast or anything, and it was still dark...
But where was the sun? There was enough cloud on the horizon that the sunrise was delayed, muted, non existant. The sky got lighter, we could see further up the coast, but still no sunrise. We got pictures of clouds that had the sun on their other side, we got pictures of cliffs down the coast with sun on them, we actually got to stand in the (kind of) sun and cast shadows on the lighthouse, but an actual sunrise...it had deserted us this morning.
We hung around until the sun was reasonably high (7am?) then walked back down
the 700-odd steps, climbed back in the van and drove back along the coastal track towards Te Araroa. At last we stopped for breakfast though, next to the beach, great views, no good for swimming as usual.
For the rest of the day, we drove south, aiming for Gisborne but never making it. The coast was different from the northern part of East Cape, the road didnt hug the coast but went far inland, the beaches were less stoney and more sandy, less windswept-dramatic, but just as view-dramatic.
We stopped at Tokomaru Bay, a tiny coastal township with a long sandy beach and a wharf. There used to be a thriving shipping industry here, wool and meat, but then the road got fixed up and shipping by road was quicker and cheaper than shipping by boat. Some of the old shipping company buildings were still there, “historic” at only 100 years old.
Next stop was Anaura Bay, where Captain Cook parked up a while. We did the DOC walk from here, a 1.5 hour hike through sheep paddocks, bush and pine forests. A nice enough walk, but with no purpose other than to walk. We met tui,
kereru and some fearlessly flitting Fantails. We would have taken some pictures of these birds if we'd remembered that many of you reading this dont see or hear them every day. Maybe we are a bit spoiled living where we do.
After lunching where Captain Cook and his merry band of invaders landed, we headed further south to Tolaga Bay. We didnt stop in the main “town” but headed for the wharf - reputed to be the longest in the southern hemisphere. We knew the rain was coming so we walked out with our rain coats on, but werent quite expecting what hit as we were walking back.
The wharf is about 660m long, wide enough for a rail track down the middle and paths either side. We got to the end, took a picture looking back along, but werent sure how much land would be seen through the rain that hit seconds later. Talk about timing! We turned around, took our picture loking back along the wharf, put our hoods up and braved the weather. Not just rain, but large lumps of driving hail.
Its times like that when travelling in the van is much better
than in a car. We could easily strip off our wet gear and get dried and changed.
The wet weather had set in, as per the forecast, and we were both down to our last clean, dry trousers. So we werent that keen on going too much further. A few km down the road we came across a neat little bay, Tatapouri, with a little campground. We treated ourselves to a powered site and kicked back relaxing. Like I said at the start of the blog, usually we arent very good at sitting around doing nothing. But this afternoon was one day we had to. It wasnt much fun driving in the rain, and it was getting late(ish). Gisborne was the next stop down the road, but that can wait for the morning. With any luck the rain will have stopped and we can explore in the sun again.
So a night of movies it is then. Tucked up in the kombi - and we need to be tucked up, its the coldest here we've been for ages, since last winter sometime. Fingers crossed its better than this for the VW show over the weekend.
Friday 10th April 2009
Talking of heading south, thats exactly what we did today, and quite a bit of it. It wasnt far from Tatapouri Bay to Gisborne, and we stopped briefly for a quick look round. Being Good Friday, everything was shut so we didnt hang around long. Besides, it was still a long way to Napier.
We drove up Kaiti hill to some viewpoints with great views across Poverty Bay. There was a statue of Captain Cook part way down the hill, some kind of bicentennial “plaza” that had been created. Only they now think its not actually of Captain Cook at all. The text on the statue goes on to say that it was a copy made from a marble statue from Italy purported to be James Cook. However, the uniform isnt an English military uniform of any kind and the face wasnt quite right. They are quite happy to admit that they have put up a statue of someone else and have no idea who it is!
Down along Gisborne waterfront, near the river mouth, are two more statues. Another one of Cook standing on top of a great sphere representing the world (the back
Captain Cook Plaza, Gisborne
This the statue that turned out not to be of Captain Cook. has a rough map with outlines of countries / continents and lines for his various voyages) and a statue of Nick Young (ships / surgeons boy on the Endeavour) who was actually the first person to sight land here on 6th October 1769. Well, I say first person, but thats the way history seems to work. The Maori had already discovered NZ, as had various Dutch and Portuguese sailors. Cook just seemed to be the first one back to Europe with his claim.
It would have been nicer as always to stay longer, but we kept on going along the Pacific Coast Highway. We didnt really stop much. Once at a viewpoint to look back over Young Nicks Head and Poverty Bay, a couple of times along the Mahia Peninsular, and a few slowings down to admire the views.
We had a quick side trip onto the Mahia Peninsular, but enough to encourage a return trip. It used to be an island, but sand has built up to form, we are told, NZ's largest tombolo landmass. There used to be extensive whaling here in the early 1800's, the shape of the isthmus being a natural trap for whales,
but being extensive, it was short lived. Not that anyone has learnt any lessons from plundering the oceans, and land, driving species to near or total extinction. We went to the township of Mahia Beach and treated ourselves to lunch. Being such a fishing mecca, of course the only thing on the menu was fish...but it was still nice sitting by the beach munching on some kumara chips. We then walked along the beach and round the headland slightly until it got too windy. Next time, there are more beaches and walks to explore.
The road from Wairoa to Napier was full of ups and downs and twists from side to side. Its not the distance that took the time, it was getting the van over the hills! Stunning scenery. There is one place we plan to stop next week when heading back up this way though.
It was pretty easy finding the campground in Napier, it is afterall the biggest one here. To be able to house as many of the VW owners as possible, the show organisers picked a site that has everything from campsites to motel units and two bed chalets. Not to mention all
Young Nicks statue
He is pointing out to what is now called Young Nicks Head, the first piece of land sighted the extras that come with a Top 10 Holiday Park.
We spent the evening catching up with friends around the site and at the meet-and-greet, registering for the show, feeling the cold (as soon as you are out of the sun, its chilly, as soon as the sun goes down, its cold here!).
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Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy
Kiwi spotting
Hi guys, If you want to see a kiwi try Tiritiri Matangi - that's where I managed to do it :-) You can get the ferry from Central Auckland or Gulf Harbour. Highly recommend staying overnight, cos then you get the rest of the afternoon after the day trippers have gone back, and you can wander all over the island at night :-) Great trip.