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Published: October 10th 2022
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We packed up quickly at Tokomaru Bay and were on the road, SH35, early. The worst road so far because of the immense damage done during recent storms. Washouts, slips along the whole route with many work parties doing their best. We were a bit ignorant and had expected that some, or a lot of the road would be along the coastline. Should have looked at a map. Lots and lots of hill country, farmland, rivers, bush instead. Had a coffee at Te Puia Springs. Sighted the only Maori-run hospital in the country. Serves the wider community in the Tokomaru, Te Puia, Ruratoria etc area. Ruratoria was different to what we had imagined. We expected to see lots of Maori Independence flags flying and evidence of anti-colonialism but no. It was smaller than we'd expected and very quiet. We could see the majestic peak of Mt Hikurangi away in the distance. A quick trip down the "main" street and then out onto the main road again which finally dipped down onto a glimpse then a panoramic vista of the coast at Te Araroa. It's a small settlement with a primary school, a general store, a cafe, a couple of other shops.
There's a huge pohutukawa, Te Waha-o-Rerekohu, on the beach front reputed to be the oldest in Aotearoa - 600 years. There's a plaque to reinforce that claim. It sure looks old.
A road leads from Te Araroa to East Cape and the lighthouse on the tip. As we had visited Cape Reinga, the Egmont Lighthouse on the west coast and Slope Point, the southernmost point on the South Island, we really wanted to complete the set so to speak and it also had the added bonus of being so picturesque around the coast. It's about 20km from Te Araroa and cuddles the coastline. The last 3 or 4 km was on a muddy, rutted narrow track clinging to the unstable cliff face with multiple washouts and surf pounding the cliff base below the road. Not a place to meet another vehicle or get too close to the edge of the "road"..... Exciting, although Lyn wasn't quite so excited as she was on the cliff edge side. We made it as rain started to fall. The southerly storm that had been smashing the South Island and Wellington was slowly moving up the Island and we could see the edge of
the front advancing on us with the temperature dropping 8 degrees. Bugger - the track to the lighthouse was closed! Took a couple of distant photos and then left to try to stay in front of the storm. On the way back we met a group of valiant, touring senior citizens on bikes who had started from Te Araroa to get to the Cape. They were not enjoying the incoming storm and the drop in temperature as they battled into the southerly.
From Te Araroa the road follows the coast for the most part and it's very beautiful with magnificent views out across the Pacific Ocean, gorgeous beaches and quaint little settlements. We had to stop at Hicks Bay as one of our good friends, Bim Dewes, grew up there and he still has ancestral land in the Bay. So we rang him in Nelson and told him where we were. It turned out that we were only about 50 metres from the start of his land as he described it to us. We went and stood on it.
Heading north again along the coast through tiny settlements until we arrived at Waihau Bay where we had booked
a B'n'B. We couldn't have wanted a better place to stay. Very welcoming hosts, Nicola and Bill, and we had the top floor of their house immediately across the road from the beach with a deck to stand on and take in the panorama. Waihau Bay is known as a top fishing spot so there was a smattering of holiday homes and baches for the keen anglers. Around the road a little way was the Waihau Bay Lodge, a classic two storey wooden hotel with first floor verandah looking out over the Bay. We didn't go in but went round there to have a look. It's a pretty place.
Back at the B'n'B we relaxed and waited for the dinner we had pre-ordered when we booked the place. Bill is an ex-chef and he offers dinner, 2 or 3 course delivered to the table. We asked for the two course and it was great. Substantial, well cooked and presented and very nice to eat. We spent a comfortable night there amongst spectacular scenery with the weather playing ball as well.
Next morning it was onward to Sapphire Thermal Springs just south of Katikati. It's a holiday camp and
we had booked an apartment there because we thought a soak in the hot pools would be great after a few days on the road. Getting there meant taking in the enduring views of the coastline, passing through small settlements like Te Kaha, Omaio, Torere and arriving in Opotiki where we stopped for a while just to have a look around the town before another stop further up the road at Ohope Beach. Had a picnic lunch on the beach in the hot sun and felt like we could have set up camp there. Bu no, kept on going through the awful traffic of Papamoa, Mt Maunganui, Tauranga - some of the most congested roads we'd seen anywhere and lived up to the horror stories people tell of it - finally arriving at Sapphire Springs.
It looked good at first sight. Tidy, well-presented and the welcome at reception was friendly and helpful. The first let down was the apartment, which in fact was a concrete block motel-type unit with minimal facilities. The second and more major letdown was the thermal pools which turned out to be luke warm at best. Our relaxing soak to be was anything but and
so the reason for being there was a total bust. The excuse given by the owner was that the water came out of the ground, they don't heat it, and with some cold days and nights the temperature had dropped. We both thought that was pretty feeble and to advertise yourself as thermal pools, well...... It was all over-priced and we were underwhelmed. We left early the next morning in something of a senior citizen grump. Our mood was improved when we stopped at Waihi and biked part of the Hauraki Rail Trail. Well-formed, scenic, easy riding with lots to stop and look at.
Auckland. We've been staying with Matt and Sam for three nights. They are looking after us like royalty and we are enjoying the relaxing time while still getting out and looking at parts of Auckland. Tomorrow we begin our trip up the west coast north of Auckland to places we haven't been.
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