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Published: April 23rd 2008
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After leaving Rotoura we headed up to the bay of plenty to a town called Whakatane (Wh in Maori is pronounced as an F) to alight on boat trip to the White Island or Whakaari. It is NZ’s most active volcano and its only marine volcano. The volcano is about 50km off shore so it took a few hours to reach the island. On route we saw a flying fish (our first ever) which we thought was totally weird! Upon arrival we were issued with gas masks (in case we became over come by the sulphuric gasses) and hard hats (in case the thing blew)! We were then transferred by tender to the island itself which in actual fact was the volcano itself. It was yet another amazing experience with some great sights. The land varied in weird and wonderful colours, mostly being yellow and white. A lot of the little streams were either hot after being heated up by the volcanic ducts or highly acidic. The vents around the island were giving out plenty of steam - confirming the very real danger of the situation we were in (apparently it was overdue for an explosion). Towards the back of the
island is a magnificent lake that is a former crater that would make a beautiful swim if it wasn’t so acidic! Last time the Ph was measured it read -0.05, not many people have made it out alive; Helen threatened to push me in if I didn’t behave! The island is made up of a lot of sulphur rock and has been mined for many years. Unfortunately the quality of the rock isn’t that great so all the businesses have eventually folded. Just before we left the island he guide dropped a rock on the groung to show us how hollow it was beneath our feet - the resounding noise was quite unnerving! A very dull, hollow thud - I'm sure it's fine!
Following our island trip we headed further north stopping off at Kiwi 360 near Te Puke. The Western Bay of Plenty is he self proclaimed Kiwifruit capital of the world. Kiwi 360 is just one of the large kiwi farms in the area, it also offers guided tours of the plantations with a very informative commentary about kiwifruit (and a little about other fruits). The tour was really interesting and we learnt a lot about kiwis
like - the picking season last 10 weeks, they’re picked when unripe and kept in suspended animation until needed, the crop generally will last 10 months. Also the best kiwis are kept for the international market with the lower quality fruits selling locally. The gold kiwi (which is a fairly new addition) are protected and can only be grown in NZ - a load of vines were recently destroyed in Italy due to “unlawful” growing. And so on and so on! Essentially the Bay of Plenty has the perfect climate for growing the fruits - and various other fruits and veggies. Following our tour we sampled several different alcohol based kiwi drinks - all good stuff. Today, 80 million trays of Kiwifruit are sent from New Zealand to 78 countries across the globe.
We pitched up in a really nice estuary town for the night, the following morning the owner of a camper van company practically made us an offer for the van, but hey we need our bed on wheels so hands off! We were both able to have a wonderful cold shower which was a bonus! We now find cold showers very refreshing!
Moving on into
White Island Lake
Just one more step back! the Coromandel region we stopped by Hot Water Beach, the clue is in the name. Yes there is a hot water spring on the beach. It’s best accessed 2 hours either side of low tide, large holes can then be dug and you can lollop about in your own, free spa. Being adventurous travellers we didn’t have time for the tide to go out but we did bury out feet. We have to proclaim that in places the water was scorching - a safety issue there I think!
After warming our feet we set off on a 2 hour walk to Cathedral Cove which has a huge arch that connects two beaches - and beautiful beaches too. There’s also a photogenic stack that sits to one end of the beach. The walk also offered great views of the eastern coastline - well worth the stroll.
We don’t hang around, after taking in the beautiful sights of the beaches we headed up towards the Far North Coromandel peninsular stopping just outside a town called Driving Creek. Our overnight rest area being a 150 acre farm - animals an all. After breakfast in the morning we popped up to the
milking shed to have a go at milking Daisy the cow which was a great and interesting experience, we left with our own supply of fresh cows milk. We headed off to the very tip of the Coromandel peninsular; our journey took us on really narrow gravel roads with nothing but sea to our side. It was worth the drive as we ended up in Fletcher Bay and one of the best sites in NZ. We immediately headed off on a walk along the coast to Stoney Bay. The walk took us through rolling farmland and magnificent coastal scenery, the weather held out nice for us which is always a bonus. We thought we’d have a change of scenery on the way back so took the cattle route - which is a recognised path for walkers as well. Mistake, it was a 5 km climb up a very steep, muddy and forested path. The only relief is that we couldn’t see the top therefore trekked on without loss of motivation. Te views at the top were rewarding once the low cloud cleared. By the time returned to our van we were psyched up for the cold showers and ready for
one of Helens legendary meals. Mark did the Neanderthalic man thing and built a fire in the grate we had parked next to. After having a great fill on Helens spicy hotpot we settled down under the stars next to the roaring fire. It was a really romantic evening and was great to spend quality time together in such tranquillity - only the roar of the fire and sound of the waves.
The following day it was time to start heading for Auckland. On the way we stopped off at the driving creek railway. It is the only narrow gauge railway in New Zealand and was built by an eccentric potter over the past 35 years - it just keeps growing. We took a ride on the train which winds to the top of a hill with great views of the local area. The driver gives a commentary along the way on the history of the railway and points out the many “eco” ideas that have been implemented, like glass bottle walls. The people that work at the attraction make it seem more like a commune - we didn’t press the subject! There are many other things going on,
like pottery, glass blowing and the making of bricks.
Our journey towards Auckland took us past the Firth of Thames finally stopping at Orere Point - a great area for bird watching.
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