Day 46 & 47


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July 25th 2015
Published: July 25th 2015
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Another foggy morning to start the day. A bit of housekeeping then off to Rawene. Not a breath of wind made for very picturesque scenery. After a quick wander (Rawene is small) we treated ourselves lunch at the Boatshed Café. What a perfect spot in the sun sitting on the deck over the water. The Raw Fish and coffee………..delicious. From Rawene you can take the car ferry over to Kohukohu which cuts out a hunk of travelling if you are heading North. We are giving it a miss as I have a couple of things on my hit list and to see them we need to take the long roadJ. No boat ride for the lad today but if he behaves he might get one further north.

So Wairere Boulders was next (In the 101 Must See NZ book). This is a pretty cool place in the middle of nowhere. The road out from Rawene was gravel and very narrow in places. Lance thought it would make an awesome Rally stage. I'm just glad we were not in a car for him to show me how awesome! Felix a Swiss Geologist/Civil Engineer and wife Rita have developed this area to the tourist attraction it is. 90% of the work has been completed by themselves. No mean feat when you see the bridges, steps etc that they have constructed around the boulders. This is a great walk up the river and through the boulders/bush then a climb up to a viewing platform at the top. (You do need to wear good shoes). Felix gives you an awesome explanation on the history of how its formed and why it is unique in World Wide geology terms. Some quick facts: 1. The boulders are the only known Basalt Boulder Valley worldwide that contains enormous number of huge rocks in the middle of clay country. 2. The Boulders are approximately 2.8 million years old. 3. They are the only Basalt Rocks known in the world to be eroded and this is believed to be from the lack of iron in the rock and the Kauri tree material in the muddles that got heated by the sun that created acid.

Day 47 has seen us leave Wairere Boulders with the first stop Horeke Hotel. This hotel is believed to be the first hotel built in NZ. Didn’t look too appealing but I am sure the fog didn’t help. Maybe you need your beer goggles on? A couple of quick photos then off to Kotukotu. A calm still day here for a wander and coffee break. The water was like glass. Has quite a peaceful feel about this place. The next leg of our journey was from Kotukotu to Ahipara. Shame on transit NZ for allocating all their money to the Auckland roads, this road is in need of some serious repair.

Ahipara our final stop for the day and we are not disappointed. What a magic spot. We have just been for a walk on the beach. A few people out and about on horses, 4WD, Quad Bikes. A young family had just pulled their Kontiki in with 4 decent size snapper. Back to camp so Lance can head for a run down the beach while tide is out and I can finish the blog😊


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