Another sunny start to the day saw us head to the east coast diverting to the Karikari Peninsula where our first stop was Tokerau Beach. Here the water was the warmest we have found to date and this time Mark had his trunks on! As we wandered along the beach we came across a couple of ‘Ray’ type fish at the water’s edge, these being about 18 inches across, we also came across a group of youngsters who were choosing their sunbathing spot, one of whom was fair skinned and already heading towards lobster pink!
We then pottered off the peninsula and headed east via Cable Bay where the water was considerably colder than Tokerau, and then on via Mangonui (very pretty) and then turned off for lunch at Totara North on the quay. Here there is a fish processing plant of considerable size and we were bemused at the size of vehicles that were coming and going along a relatively small road (albeit sealed) including a large lorry of ice which took the journey along to the end of the wooden jetty to empty its load into the hold of a waiting fishing vessel.
After lunch we took the scenic route via Tauranga Bay, Mahinepua and into Te Ngaire where again the sea proved too tempting so we loitered appropriately. Here we were joined by a beautiful black Labrador type dog who wanted to play. The rules of the game were not quite clear but did include having to convince the dog to release his bit of seaweed so that it could be thrown out to sea for him to retrieve!
Once this game was over we continued on the scenic route calling in at the Taraire Water Gardens. These were made by Aubery Westgate, a man who emigrated from Eastbourne (in the UK) in the late 80’s and included a forest walk and a number of reasonable size ponds at the bottom of an escarpment. The pond area had been a swamp and this had all been dug out to form these naturally fed ponds.
It was then time to find iced coffees (at Waipapa) before making the short journey to Kerikeri where Mark’s Uncle David is currently project managing a large housing and care facility development. We had last met about 25 years ago and it was good to meet up. The plan is to stay here for a couple of days before completing our circuit of New Zealand and returning to Auckland.
On Friday David took us for a short tour of the local sights (he had a business commitment at 11.30) including the Rainbow Falls, the Stone Store at Kerikeri Inlet, an excellent coffee shop in Kerikeri and some of the prime view points around the area.
While David was busy we took a walk along the Kerikeri River from the falls to the Landing; enjoying a walk around the Stone Store and lunch at The Pear Tree (aka The Landing Restaurant). The afternoon was then spent chilling out, including a swim in the neighbour’s pool.
Saturday saw us spending the day with David heading off to Waitangi where we toured the Treaty House where the Waitangi Treaty was signed in 1840. The house and grounds are quite magnificent and enjoy views over the Bay of Islands.
We then drove into Paihia, a busy little town with a temporarily increased population due to the Russell-Paikia sea swim competition being on. We managed to find a parking space and caught the ferry to Russell (which had briefly been the capital of New Zealand) where we had a pleasant lunch followed by a stroll around the town including a visit to a missionary house, Pompallier House, built in 1842.
The town has many art shops and one in particular had some magnificent individual pieces that would have been very nice to own were it not for the price tag and the shipping costs!
Here in Russell we also came across a Morton Bay Fig tree with incredible air roots. It had been planted somewhere around 1880 by the first collector of customs.
There were also some excellent examples of Pohutukawa trees, the New Zealand Christmas Tree (because it flowers at....)
After our tour we returned to Paihia for ice creams and then the short journey to Opua to visit one of David’s colleagues who has a house with incredible views over the bay.
It was then home for chill out time and get sorted ready for getting back on the road tomorrow.
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