Waipu to Pahia

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The weather was really sunny and warm - at total odds with the previous evening forecast, which had shown clouds and heavy showers all day. After leaving the hostel, we drove to the museum on the main street. Waipu has an interesting history. A group of Scottish Highlanders impoverished by the highland clearances emigrated to Nova Scotia under the leadership of a independent minded minister. The going was tough and on the information of the ministers son some of them built a ship and sailed it to Australia - their arrival coincided with a goldrush and the associated lawlessness and immorality which was not what they were expecting, so they moved on to New Zealand (by this time the tough old minister was in his seventies). They founded a settlement and the most of the remaining Nova Scotians followed. Many of the current residents are descendants from those original ships. The Waipo Museum has many artefacts from those settlers and is quite poignant. We carried on along the coast of beautiful Bream Bay stopping at some of the the bays. We stopped for quayside scones/coffee ice cream at Whangerei. There is a quite imposing waterfall just outside town around which there is a very pleasant 20 minute walk. Followed curvy road up and down coastal hills. Visited some well known public toilets in Hun**** before booking into hostel in Paihia.

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