NEWS # 038
Hi everyone!
Monday, the 10th, dawns grey and we decide to leave for the East coast and
Tokomaru Bay. This will be our longest travel day to date and we'll cover
about 460km. We leave early, wanting to make the best use of the daylight. I
am strangely quiet, for no better reason than I have almost lost my voice
over the weekend supporting our boys in their fights against the rest of the
world!
The journey is not straightforward as there is no simple route between the
places we want to go. Firstly, we have to head north, via Rotorua, to
Whakatane, on the East coast. This turns out to be the easiest phase of the
trip and the road is excellent.
From Whakatane, we then head south-east across the East Cape towards
Gisbourne. This route follows some amazing river valleys and we are often in
deep steep sided gorges. The only major problem is that in several places,
large rocks have fallen off the gorge walls onto the road. At one point we
drive over rock which seems quite small and there is a huge crash as it
makes contact with the underside of the car. Thankfully, no major damage is
evident. We vow to never drive along gorge roads again if there is a better
alternative. After several hours, we arrive in Gisbourne and call ahead to
our accommodation for the night, to confirm our beds.
The last part of the journey follows the Pacific Coast Highway for 90km to
Tokomaru Bay. It gets dark and the road is fast but windy. We follow a truck
which seems to stay at the legal limit, of 100kmh, all the way despite the
bends! The driver seems crazy. Eventually, we are not brave enough to keep
up and let him race off into the distance.
Soon two cars catch up with us and sit about two feet from the back of the
car, at 80kmh. I get fed up with their tail-gating and slow to let them pass
which they do not. At one point, I pull into a passing lane and I have to
almost stop before the pass. More crazy people.
Eventually, we arrive in Tokomaru Bay. We are staying at a hostel called
Brian's Place, which is very easy to find. Brian is a great guy and his
hostel is nestled in the hillside. The bedrooms are located in lofts above
the lounge.
He has a long term resident, a Kiwi called Paul, who is a Cray
fisherman and arrives home with ten fresh crayfish.
the views from Brian's, Tokomaru Bay
the views from Brian's, Tokomaru Bay
We chill and drink beer until the small hours and listen to Paul's extensive
Drum and Bass collection.
The next morning, we awake and look out of the loft windows. We are greeted
by a magnificent view of the coast. Breakfast on the timber deck outside, is
wonderful and reminds me of home.
After breakfast, we head off to explore the bay. Normally, this can be one
of the best surf spots around but the wind is offshore and there isn't a
ripple. We walk a long way around the bay and chill after our drive of the
previous day. That evening, several other people arrive, most notably a
Swiss girl who has been working in Napier, our next port-of-call. We all
party the night away.
On Wednesday, we decide to head down the East coast towards Napier. Our
route takes us past many well rated surf beaches but the surf couldn't be
much smaller if it tried. There is no ridable surf evident anywhere. We
travel past Gisbourne and miss out the Mahia Peninsular this time. Hopefully
I will have time to go here when I come back to the North Island, later on
my trip. In Wairoa, we eat fish and kumara chips for lunch. Kumara is a type
of sweet potato which produces wonderful chips.
We drive past many vineyards and it takes all my will not to stop for a few
bottles in each! Eventually, we arrive in Napier. Our hostel for the night
is the Stables Lodge Backpackers who are very welcoming. They are fairly
quiet and we have a four bed dorm to ourselves. I go out to watch the
England-Nigeria match and Anja chills out.
On Thursday, we go to the National Marine Aquarium and explore Napier. The
town was destroyed by an earthquake in the thirties and was all been rebuilt
in Art Deco style, much of which remains today. We go out with some new
friends in the evening and play pool and watch some more World Cup action.
Am up early on Friday. Anja has decided to head towards Wellington and I'm
going right across the country, to the West Coast, in search of surf.
Firstly I have to head towards Taupo again and the weather is atrocious as I
travel, with torrential downpours and high winds. Eventually, I arrive in
Taupo and then head south towards Turangi. The weather shows no sign of
letting up and I decide to stay in Extreme Backpackers in Turangi. As I
arrive, there is thunder and lightning and I'm glad that I made the right
decision.
I check in and have a cuppa. Someone then offers me two huge rainbow trout
that they had caught in the river, that morning. Not a man to turn down food
but rather lacking in condiments, I fill one with Tarragon and Parsley and
stick it in the microwave. Whilst it's cooking, I pop next door to the
chippy, for some kumara chips. The fish is excellent and I am well
satisfied.
Seeya,
Halesy