Tuatua seeking was on the agenda for the day (the clam-like shellfish that we collected when we were in the Bay Of Islands – week 2). Only found a couple and gave up. The day was cloudy and we spent a good part of the day walking on the deserted beach (it is miles and miles long) napping in the tent, reading, writing postcards, etc. I later discovered that I had not even taken a photo of this area.
Monday March 19th: Cold night, got down to 50 – a reward for this is that the sky was clear and the Milky Way was visible and stars of other galaxies were blazingly bright.
As the day progressed the temps warmed and it was time to wet the boogie boards for some fun in the waves. Looking to the right and then to the left, a white sandy beach stretches as far as the eye can see. In all the distance, we saw 7 other people. In NZ, most people take their summer holiday in January or maybe February; thus, March finds many holiday places pretty much empty. Looking out from the beach, one can see White Island many miles out to sea. White Island is currently having volcanic eruptions and a cloud of volcanic ash and steam are continually visible.
We saw a fish and chips shop near the campground and walked down for a meal. There were two elderly ladies enjoying a meal on the outside tables. We were watching a young father fish on the nearby wharf with his 3 small children. He came over to the shop to buy some raw fish to use for bait, as he had forgotten to bring bait. For those who are fishers you might wonder how could he have forgotten to bring bait when he clearly knew that he was going fishing. For those who have ever had to get small children organized to do anything, you can understand how such essentials can be skipped. He was told that NZ health laws/regulations forbid them from selling their product unless it is fully cooked. Dad and children had walked from the campground to the wharf and had no vehicle. Without any hesitation, one of the elderly ladies went over and offered to give dad and kids a ride to the bait shop several miles down the road. Wasn’t that extremely kind. Those types of encounters seem to be commonplace in NZ and is one of the things that draws my heart to this place and these people.
My least favorite day of the year is the day that we have to turn our clocks back to end daylight savings time. With season'’ reversed, NZ turns their clocks back in March, as we in the USA turn ours forward. This morning was the setting back of clocks day. All of a sudden, instead of getting dark at 8PM, it is dark at 7PM. Exciting people as we are, after 7PM, we just went to sleep.
Tuesday March 20th. Today was a driving day (get out your NZ maps – they are available on the Internet if you have misplaced yours). Ohope Beach on the eastern Bay of Plenty is our starting point and our goal is Opunake Beach in South Taranaki. To get their, you must drive clear across the North Island. Allowing a full day, we set off early. Liz & Dennis have graciously allowed us the use of one of their vehicles for our North Island travels. The car has been starting pretty reluctantly these past few days and we stopped in an auto-electric shop in Whakatane, as much of the area that we will be covering today is very remote. Breaking down in a remote area is something that we wish to avoid, as it could take several hours to get to a mechanic. One of the cells of the battery is shot, so we have a new battery put in – it takes about 20 minutes and we feel fortunate to have not been left stranded and to have gotten such immediate attention.
By 9AM we are on our way. It is a clear warm day and we travel through many miles of fruit and berry orchards. Rotorua is on our way. This small city is a must see for any of you who tour NZ. Rotorua is the premier thermal area of NZ, with geysers, thermal lakes, spas, boiling mud etc. in profusion. As we are in traveling mode and have visited here before, Rotorua only gets us to stop for fuel. As we drive toward Lake Taupo’s western shores, we catch glimpses of NZs trio of active volcanic mountains: Mt Ruapehu, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngarahoe (which is very active these past few years). Lake Taupo is a large fresh water lake (NZ largest) home of extremely large rainbow trout (originally stocked from USA). For fishers, you must come to Taupo to try your luck. Lake Taupo’s origin is in an explosion many hundreds of thousand years ago, when a volcano blew itself up and left a very large hole, which became Lake Taupo. Rocks from the blast have been found in Auckland over 150 miles away – some blast, some lake.
The scenery is so beautiful, miles of rolling pastures covered with sheep, mountains, forests. Up to this point the roads are very good and we make good time. Our morning tea stop finds us in Atiamuri (find that on your map) a small town west of Taupo. We probably spend an hour or so visiting with the people running their shop – people seem unrushed and always willing to visit with people passing through.
Tokaanu has a thermal pool that we plan as a relaxation stop. Hot springs, geysers, volcanoes and the like are quite common in NZ, especially on North Island as the Island has volcanic origins and many are still active. Elaine and I get a private thermal pool and enjoy some time alone in the warm waters. Elaine organized our lunch while I spent more time in the large public thermal pools, where there were 5 other people in a pool the size of a small lake. There was a pathway into the bush that leads one along a thermal stream with various pools and boiling mud views. The Maori tribe of this area used these pools for cooking in the past.
Taumarunui is the beginning point of the “Forgotten World Highway”, a winding mountainous, part single lane, partially paved road through he mountains to the Taranaki region. There are no gas stations for 151 km (100 miles) and no other services (with the exception of 1 pub). There are quicker ways through the mountains, but Dennis has told us that this is very scenic. We later find out that Dennis has never driven this road, and has only heard it was scenic. The scenery is breathtaking, hills, mountains, ridges, valleys, very steep drop offs, waterfalls, but it is slow going. I figured needed maybe 2 hrs and it takes 3.5 hrs. As one nears the highest stretches of road, the pavement stops and you are on gravel on a steep incline. We catch up to a triple-deck, double trailer truck hauling smelly sheep and are stuck behind it. There is no place for him to pull over and passing is out of the question on the narrow road. We only saw about 6 vehicles during the trip along the “Forgotten” highway, one of them had the misfortune of meeting the sheep truck and had to pull over so that the truck could barely squeeze by. Eventually, there was a pull-off and the trucker kindly let us by.
About 100 km along, we came to the wide spot in the road known as Wangamomona a collection of 40 people in some ramshackle houses with a large pub on the corner. Just as you enter the “town” a sigh says that you are now leaving New Zealand. Not being familiar with the town, we assume that maybe this is a hotbed of the Maori independence movement and probably populated by radical activists. Not wanting to run into radicals and also it was getting late in the day and we still had a few hours to travel, we decide not to stop at the pub. In Opunake, we find out the real story of Wangamomona.
Several years ago, the national government decided to redraw provincial boundaries and Wangamomona was relegated to a difference province. Kiwis are a pretty scrappy lot and the people of Wangamomona did not appreciate being thrown into some other region without their consent. They declared themselves an independent republic and promptly elected a goat as their mayor. The goat served as their leader until its death, at which time a poodle gained power, but resigned when another dog attacked it (this was believed to be an assassination plot). Following the poodle, a well-known transvestite became the leader. Later this transvestite was actually elected to the national Parliament and is now considering running for mayor of Wellington. Anyway, it seems that Wangamomona is a party place. On Independence Day, up to 20,000 people have come here for a street party. Leaving there, a sign says Welcome back to New Zealand.
We arrive at the Opunake campground after dark at 7:30. By now, we are experienced campers & have not trouble pitching the tent at night. We notice that this kitchen also has no plates, pots, etc. However, I notice a sigh says that you can check out a kitchen box at the office – no charge. We bought groceries in Taumarunui & enjoy a lovely meal. We had stayed in this campground in 2003 on our last visit. So the town and beach were familiar. Opunake draws us for the best boogie board rides. We are tired from the 10 hrs on the road and fall into a restful sleep in our cozy nylon home.
Wednesday Mach 21. Last evening near Opunake, we began hearing a squeal in one of our wheels and figure that we had picked up a rock on the Forgotten Highway unpaved portion. I tried backing the car and sharply stopping in the attempt to dislodge the stone, but the noise was still there. Hoping that it was a rock and not a bearing, I drove up into the town from the campground and found a mechanic who could look at it. Morning tea beckoned, we enjoyed tea and a pastry on a sidewalk table of this small town of about 1,400 souls. It was nice being in a familiar place again. We had had morning tea at this same shop in 2003. Then we went gift shopping and bought T-shirts and other things.
Had a good visit in the local surf shop and found out that we are not the only ones who think the waves here are great. The world knee-board championships will be held next year at Opunake. What’s the diff you ask? You stand on a surfboard, kneel on a knee-board and lay on a boogie board. Why I think the waves here are the best is a function of terrain. The beach has an extremely flat slope, which means that you can walk out a long distance and still be in shallow water. When a wave breaks at Opunake, it continues to foam and break for a long distance, making for a long boogie board ride. You can walk to right where the wave breaks and even just before it breaks. You and your board are sliding down the face of the wave and are shot out as it breaks and the wave keeps pushing you until you reach the beach. Wow, what a ride! The best time for boogie boarding is the 3 hrs before high tide, since more volume of water is coming in that when the tide is going out. Opunake’s gentle slope of beach enables one to get good rides even at low tide, when the waters recede a great distance.
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Went back to the mechanic – he had found and removed a rock. Hey it was only a 5-minute job mate, no charge, have a good day. We drive down the steep road to the beach, happy that this was all that was wrong with the car. As we approached the campground (maybe a quarter mile from the town), we hear a squeal again – appears that we picked up a rock in 2 wheels and only removed it from the one. However, this one did eventually drop out.
We enjoyed the waves on our boards for a good part of the afternoon until it clouded over. It was unfortunate that we did not get into the waves at Opunake after that. On our next trip, we are considering renting a cabin at Opunake and spending several weeks here – just for the boogie boarding.
We took a nice hike along a trail on the edge of the cliffs that overlook the beach and went a ways down the coastline. The tide was at its low point and the sand stretches out for a quarter mile from where they are at high tide and half the bay is empty of water at this time.
The campground kitchen, showers, bathrooms, laundry & lounge (with TV and board games provided) were completely rebuilt since 2003 and everything is brand new and the place is spotlessly clean. They have the air hand dryers in order to avoid paper waste.
NZ is a very environmentally aware country where conserving, recycling and using non-wasteful methods are commonplace.
We have a nice visit with an American from Albuquerque who is by himself spending a month in a small motor home touring the country. Also meet an older Danish couple. Again, we are the only tenters, as they are all in either cabins or motor homes.
In 2003, we met some friends of Liz & Dennis’ who had moved to this area (actually Oakura near the city of New Plymouth) and we wanted to say hi to them while we were in the area. We went uptown to use the public phones to call Tony & Angela. They invited us over for evening meal the next night – how nice. From there, we went to the pub for a beer. The place was jumping. Several people were engaged in a darts competition. After this, I noticed that every pub has at least one dart board – very popular bar past time in NZ. There were several slot machines in the pub, with a couple of patrons there. A pool table with a group. Several tables with animated conversations going on and an outside beer garden with more patrons. The bar tender/manager came over to our table and welcomed us, informed us that they served meals (we had already had supper) and engaged in a nice conversation. He told us that if we wanted to drink more than a few drinks, the pub had a free shuttle and would bring us home and pick us up in the morning to collect our car. He impressed us as a very good manager. We enjoyed our beer and went out into the beer garden where we were quickly welcomed into conversation with a group. We even got an invitation to go lobster fishing (but we were leaving the next afternoon, so we could not accept). One of the people in this group, a thirty-some female had actually lived about 2 blocks from where we lived in Auckland although not during the same time (1987-1992 when we lived in Auckland).
Since I had drunk 3 beers and Elaine had 1, Elaine drove to the campground. Good thing, as the local constable was doing a sweep that night and we were stopped and Elaine was breathalized – you just talk into this hand-held instrument that the police officer holds and that determines whether you pass or not. Elaine passed, I may not have. Drink driving is a problem in NZ as in USA and they have taken many steps to reduce its incidence.
Thursday March 22nd. My later father would be 98 yrs old if he were still with us.
Very early in the morning, I awake to the sound of click, click, click. Elaine’s teeth are chattering from the cold, although it is 61 degrees. I think that she is sort of hypothermic and bundle her up in my heavy woolen jacket and pump up the darned air mattress. Elaine’s teeth stop clicking and she falls asleep but feels really lousy the next day. Her cold has returned with a vengeance. Yesterday’s boogie boarding is Elaine’s last time in NZ waters, as she struggles with this cold for the next 6 weeks. The day is gray and overcast, so we break camp and watch the ocean until noon. Opunake’s pub has a very good lunch menu and we enjoy a meal before heading up to Oakura – only an hour from Opunake. Our campground at Oakura is right by the beach and the boogie boarding is good, but not nearly as good as Opunake, as the waves were breaking close to shore. Therefore, the rides were short.
After 6PM, we walk up to Gary and Angela’s home for a visit and a lovely dinner outside on their deck. They have a good view of the ocean and of Mt Taranaki (also known as Mt Egmont). Gary is a very talented guy and has worked in all sorts of occupations. At present, he is an auto mechanic at a Toyota dealership. Gary graciously informs us that we can bring the car to his shop and he will find that remaining squeaky stone. We take the car to his shop the next day, but the stone has magically disappeared.
Friday March 23rd. Our untrusty air mattress is deposited in a trash barrel, as we plan no more tenting this trip. Today we will travel back to Auckland, a 4 to 5 hr trip if you are pushing it. We take about 13 hrs, as we make a few stops along the way. The first stop was the Puke Oriki (that’s not puke as in throwing up, it is pronounced poo kay). This is a fabulous museum in the city of New Plymouth. We spend a couple hours there, but could easily have spent twice as much time. Many exhibits are interactive. I was sitting at this one exhibit of the timeline of various animals of NZ and this little girl of maybe four or five years old comes over and asks if I can read what the exhibit says. She spends the next 15 minutes with this unknown guy and no frantic parents are looking for her. She is free to wander about and do her thing. We have lost much of that in the USA, as stranger fear is so very prevalent. I must say, that there is some justification to this with the things you hear; but, one still feels that we have lost something when kids have to fear others.
Driving up the west coast along the Taranaki Bight is a scenic delight. What isn’t in NZ? Lunch at the pub in the Awakino Hotel, a wide spot in the road. Gary told us of some really nice beaches that we should stop and see and we decided to get off the main road and take the narrow winding road to Waikawau Beach. This is another tunnel beach, like the one outside of Dunedin (week 3). We reach the tunnel and walk through it to the beach. Gary said the boogie boarding was reputed to be good here, but the waves are breaking right at the shoreline – thus, no boarding. A very pretty coastline.
Another beach Gary recommended checking out is Marokopa Beach, another 18 km along a winding road. Marokopa had some very good waves and I enjoyed some good rides while Elaine nursed her cold and read. The waves are powerful and the bottom is littered with rocks about the size of basketballs. I watch the rocks get pushed around quite easily by the waves. To avoid injury, I keep my knees on the board to avoid meeting up with an unseen rock.
Coffee from our trusty thermos (actually, Liz’s thermos) and Girl Guide biscuits (Girl Scout Cookies) makes up our afternoon tea at Marokopa. Back in the car for the drive to Auckland. The road takes us through many forested valleys and passes by the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Waitomo is a must see site when you make your visit to NZ. Years ago, we went there and were treated to a tour of the large limestone caves whose ceilings are covered with glowworms. When the lights are turned off, it is like viewing the Milky Way Galaxy. One exits the caves on small boats that a guide pulls along via a cable while you are in near pitch blackness. Only near pitch black due to the glowworms. The caves also have black water rafting tours where you go on a raft further along in the underground river.
Our final pub stop is at Pirogia, where we dine in style. By 7PM it is dark and we enter the motorway leading to Auckland. Traffic is quite heavy, as many Aucklanders are heading home or are heading out of the city for the weekend. For us, the traffic is light, as we are heading in to the city.
Saturday March 24th: Up early for a morning of fishing on the Waitemata Harbour. We have never seen so many boats on the harbour. Everyone is out sailing, fishing, etc. Auckland is known as the “city of sails” and with good reason. Dennis knows the tides and the places where and when the fish will be biting. While we catch many fish, there is a length requirement that the fish must reach in order to be kept. Our kept catch is 10 snapper, which we enjoy later. In NZ they don’t just fine you if they catch you with undersize fish or exceeding your limit. They seize the boat, motor, trailer and maybe the car you were driving, plus fine you. Moral of the story, know the laws and obey them. National Geographic (April 2007) has a good article about how serious NZ is about protecting its fishery.
That evening we are invited over to a friend’s for evening meal. Thanks Judy and Derek for a lovely evening.
The time between Sunday the 25th and when we left NZ on the 28th was full of days and evenings with friends from our time in NZ. An explosive social life is what we have for those last few days. There are a few friends that we did not get to see this trip and we feel sad about that – but this prompts us to make plans for a return trip maybe in 2009. Next time, 3 months, as 6 weeks just isn’t enough time to be in this wonderful place and be with these wonderful friends.
After an overnight in Los Angeles we arrive in Nebraska and resume life here, but with many fond memories of this recent trip. Hope you enjoyed reading these slutigrams. I certainly liked writing them, as they bring those events right back to my mind and leave me with a smile and lots of warm fuzzies.
