Fab Five do East Cape (16th to 29th April)

Tolaga Bay Wharf at sunrise

Rendezvous:  Taradale RSA - Napier : one Bus & Car / one Car & Caravan and one Motorhome.

The RSA was a convenient "Park over Place" plus they did meals to make the first night easy. It was also handy to cousin Kevin & Deb, so they could join us and give their expert experience of travelling around the Cape ( although K hadn't disclosed till tonight he hasn't actually gone all the way around the Cape!) 

Examination of Wendy's PINK Tool Kit 

As G&C are new to caravanning - Bill is offering dumping advice.

The team consisted of brother Graeme & Claire from Waihi Beach borrowing a friends caravan and their friend Wendy in her Motorhome (a Nurse whose services we hopefully won't require (but she has prepared a special fish hook removal kit!). They may have made a mistake staying at a 10 Star camp the previous night in Taupo, on their way down. Will update this comment later on in this blog.

Day 1 Napier to Lake Tutira

After grocery shopping we headed down to Napier Marine Parade to dump tanks / replenish fresh water, then we were on our way. Destination was a Doc camp at Lake Tutira on the side of Highway #2 inland approx 20km. This time of year it is very pretty with the autumn tints and lush green paddocks. The weather had warmed enough to feel like a summers day - Napier was 24 deg by 9.30am.

We set up our camp and celebrated the first day on the road without too much stress with a lovely local Rosé before doing an hour loop walk up and around the hills. A brief shower of rain past after dinner, then the sky came out in a mass of stars. I thought only the South Island put on such spectacular night skies.

Day 2 Lake Tutira

A day for exploring / photography and hopefully catching some fish! Claire drove us around to Waikare Beach (13km gravel road from Putorino) where it was a 15min walk from the Doc carpark

Early morning at Lake Tutira Doc camp

Lovely Nikau walk at Morere Springs

down to the beach. G&B set up their surfcasters and waited. Bill was the only one rewarded with a good size kawhai- even though G informed C that it was only the current - no fish! But B proved him wrong. G marinated it with lemon juice and coconut milk (Kokoda in Fiji) for an entrée later - Yummy. By the time we returned to camp, we had decided on another night at this lovely Doc camp although the temperature had dropped considerably. It was on with longs and beanies for the evening.

Day 3 Lake Tutira to Mahia Peninsula via Wairoa

Left Lake Tutira after a crispy start (the lake looking picturesque with its autumn tints) meeting up in Wairoa (the birth place of my father - but exactly where!!!). The town was looking a little brighter than when we last drove through approx 8 years ago in Big Yella. Coffee time was down by the river and main entrance into the town, where G & I did some more research as to where our father was born or lived in Wairoa. We knew we had one uncle still remaining from Dad's 7 siblings whom we thought was currently living in Mahia Peninsula just up

the road. When in doubt and Bill doesn't know, we Google!. What a shock it was to see his death notice where he had passed away only 3 days earlier! And quirky as he died in Waipukarau the Monday afternoon as we passed thru on the way to Napier for the rendezvous. What a way to get out of seeing his relations!! Bit sad we only just missed him after all these years

A little puha please!

Bill found his mate Wal in Gisborne

We drove on down to the river mouth of Wairoa which was idyllic to have our lunch - and finish off the fish from yesterday’s catch. It was only another 45mins onto Mahia Peninsula our next destination. And what a beautiful spot this was too. An energising walk up the nearby hill at the end of the beach gave wonderful views out over Mahia and out to sea. Stunning colours in the evening sunset. G&C elected to put out the longline, to little affect, as a better use of their time.

Day 4 Mahia Peninsula

We decided to stay two nights as it would give us a chance to go around the other side of the    Peninsula and other beaches north. Very little traffic or people around even with the school holidays. We drove up to Mahanga where G tried out the Contiki once again, but sadly once again very little - just a baby shark not worth keeping.

Top of the hill looking back to Mahia Beach

Whilst here at Mahia we (I) had hoped we might have seen Rocket Lab launch a rocket as we were in a window they had planned a launch. But sadly that morning I read where they had moved it into early May. Maybe next time.

Day 5 Mahia Peninsular to Tolaga Bay via Gisborne

Another beautiful day as we headed north. Stopped for a 20 min walk at Morere Springs which was delightful with all the Nikau Palm trees. It was a bit early for a swim for us - interesting how back in the late 1800's the European tourists were stopping here for a swim also.

Gisborne we did a bit of shopping, looking around, eating and G&C even managed a bike ride around Gisborne. It is a lovely town so will have to return when more time allows hopefully in the next month or two. Graeme was also on a mission to find the address of his birthplace.

Onto Tolaga Bay and its historic Wharf - all 660 meters completed in 1929, an icon  instantly recognised.

First catch of the trip - and also a first for Bill
Catching a fish surfcasting.

How can I make him look bigger!

Day 6 Tolaga Bay

A truly super human effort was made by all to get up at 6.15am to watch the sunrise - luckily the rain didn't come in till about an hour later, after many amazing shots were taken as the sun came up over the South Pacific Ocean. The wet morning was spent in our own vehicles waiting for the sun to return which it did just after lunch.

Looking out from Cooks Cove

The afternoon was spent walking over to Cooks Cove where Captain Cook landed in 1769 - this was a bit of a trek up and down a steep hill between Tolaga Bay and the Cove - 6.4km from the camp taking just under two hours with all the photo stops.

Looking back through "The Hole-in-the-wall"
Te Kote o te Whenua

The "Hole in the wall" still looks pretty much the same as when Sir Joseph Banks (Cooks Botanist) sketched this formation scenic rock .

We returned to Tolaga Bay ready for a wine on sunset and joined G&C who had their contiki out. More stunning photos of Tolaga Bay Wharf as the sun set behind us. This time success on the contiki - 3 good size snapper (photographic evidence further down)

Another amazing meal - thank you Wendy
Lamb shanks cooked in a Quarter Acre Pot

Contiki out - waiting .....waiting....waiting!

Day 7 

Tolaga Bay to Tokamaru Bay

Another short day popping into the pretty small bay of Anarau. Lovely but with the Doc camp being seasonally closed there was very very limited parking options. A shame especially as G&C had had another extended scenic trip here to arrive only in time for us to advise them we weren't stopping. And so on to Tokomaru Bay with freedom camping being permitted on lovely beach reserve. Stunning.

G&B put the long line out that evening and had some issues.... the first being it appeared to be stuck out at sea then inexplicably run out as though we had, as Maui did, caught the mythical big one. Then we were stuck again and with a retrieval system failure under load, 3 local boys turned up on their Quad bike saying a contiki had washed up a km along the beach and did we want them to retrieve it for us. Well.......yes..... please... so they duly turned up with it!. A broken line and a large kahawhai. We hand wound in some hundreds of metres of line pondering how it all happened and gradually coming to the realization that these entrepreneurial lads were probably hauling it in at the far end of the beach long before we knew we had a problem. And indeed they were the mythical large catch that had us so excited earlier......  G man rewarded them handsomely and they kept the large fish, everyone was happy or.....were we the victims of an elaborate con........!

Claire showing how to hold the catch at Tolaga Bay - what a woman

Day 8

Tokamaru Bay

Another stunning sunrise on the East Coast - but this time seen snug from our bed. Lovely relaxed day by the sea - decided around 3 pm to pack up and move on to Ruatoria for the dawn service for

Freedom camping at Tokamaru

ANZAC day in the morning. All packed and about to head off (Wendy had actually left to do her ablutions before leaving town) when Graeme then came across a local who couldn't understand why we would move on to Ruatoria when they had a perfectly good dawn service locally! So it was back out with the chairs & wine and Wendy returned to camp for us to settle back in for another evening on this beautiful coast line for the purported 5.00am Dawn Service ( can't believe people think 5.00 am is in the morning - it's the middle of the night!!)

End of another day - just waiting on the Sitters

Day 9 

 Tokamaru Bay to ........ Ruatoria

5.00am start for the Pakehas (we were first to arrive for the first half hour) as the service started at 6.00am! As expected it was conducted with a large Maori content, the locals losing many of their own in all the wars, we seem to be only too eager to send our men....... Some lovely singing voices.

Back at camp before 8.00am for breakfast. It was a nice relaxed morning with such an early start. After lunch and another walk along the beach, we decided to head off to Te Araroa so we could do the East Coast Lighthouse first thing in the morning to see the sunrise once again. But destiny didn't think so as 2mins out of Tokamaru Bay Wendy broke down in her motor home on the side of the road. A quick inspection found a broken fan belt.

St Mary's church at Tikitiki built in 1924 

Not something easily fixed on Anzac day well away from the well trodden state HW 1.  so the AA was called. Malcolm the mechanic duly arrived from Ruatoria with an ecliptic collection of belts but to no avail. This was a job requiring the right belt and a few more tools than on hand. So after some protracted scenario settings it was decided to be towed to Ruatoria nearly 40kms away, to await parts and be fixed the next day.  Wendy rode in our bus towing the car with Sheryl driving (something she has put off for ages) as Bill steered her motorhome being towed back to Ruatoria.

Raukokore historic church built 1930

Wendy & Sheryl arrived at our destination where Graeme & Claire already parked up and dinner all organised. A huge sigh of relief was heard as we had all  arrived safely, but  was short lived when Sheryl went to pull on the handbrake but plunged her fingers into our extraordinarily efficient rodent trap........a huge painful surprise with no recognition of the problem just eye watering pain as she tried to fling it off which she did eventually....The only trace of it being the peanut butter strewn up her arm, the only tell tale of what the hell almighty had tried to remove her finger. This story can only get better in the retelling and had us in hysterics on successive nights as the alcohol flowed freely. 

Lovely dinner followed thank you G&C

The Fab Five at East Cape Light House

Day 10 

Ruatoria to Te Araroa

Nice leisurely start to the day as we packed up to leave Mary & Ash's POP. Wendy dropped her motorhome off to be repaired on our way out of town. Bill & I picked her up as we headed off to Te Araroa (not to be confused with Te Aroha - which has nearly 4,000 people and the other 170 odd!) 

We stopped at Tikitiki on the way through to check out the old church which was beautifully restored back in 2002. Lovely integration of Maori & European cultures. Sadly we couldn't get up to the old cemetery and cenotaph which was overgrown. Nice to see the church looking so great and well looked after.

NZ's oldest pohutukawa tree named Te-Waha-O-Rerekohu 

Continued onto Te Araroa where we dropped bus & caravan off at our next camp just before Hicks Bay. Had a quick lunch then headed off once again in G&C's car out to the most Eastern Light House in the world! With 800 steps and beautiful scenery we climbed up to the light house which Bill & I decided must have been our 3rd visit over our life time. Back to camp calling into Te Araroa on the way through checking out the largest pohutukawa in NZ (more than 350 yrs old, 40m wide and 21.2m tall). Wendy & Claire headed off back to Ruatoria to pick up W's motorhome that was repaired and ready to go once again with a new fan belt. Bill went and checked out the beach, Graeme did their washing and I got on with dinner. Another pleasant evening finished off another beautiful day. 

Day 11

Perfect framing Wendy

Te Araroa to Maraehako Bay

After the Girls (C & W & S) headed off into the big smoke of Te Araroa, B & G took Bus / Caravan off over the hill into Hicks bay to catch some fresh fish. The Girls called into a Cafe selling Manuka products ( Health remedies of manuka honey – a big antibacterial product ). Then onto Te Araroa Market for some Fish Chowder (Mussel / Crab etc),a few wines and then onto Hicks Bay to join B&G for lunch. A bit of surf casting fishing didn't produce anything. Off to Maraehako for the next camp (and next bit of drama). We all decided it was best the others followed B&S after a few extra km's taken by the others (excluding W). Fairly smooth run in the late afternoon through to Maraehako, stopping at the historic church at Raukokore. W joined us for a photo shoot, G&C continued on..... with only a few k’s to go they couldn’t possibly get lost! At the time we thought we couldn't lose them as we were so close to camp. Not the case!!

Lovely fire on Maraehako Beach

When we came across the camp it was hard to identify it and almost missed it ourselves but had time to signal Wendy who was following us that this was the camp. We had to carry on along the road a further 5 mins before turning around. Wendy was about to leave as there was no sign of G&C and thought we had the wrong camp. We set up camp and awaited G&C's arrival. Thought they must have overshot the camp (as was there modus operandi) But as time went on we started to get concerned. Finally Claire turned up in a strange vehicle asking Bill to come and help as G had got stuck further up the road. Off they headed and no more than ten minutes had passed when G turned up with his car and caravan! No Claire! No Bill! It was like one of those plays. G asked where they were - and we couldn't believe C&B had missed a car towing a caravan!! How can you! Finally G headed off to find B&C - only to pick them up 5 mins up the road. Once all was calm and back to normal lovely seafood chowder & fresh homemade bread with lots of red wine to get over the stress of the end of the day. Our first opportunity to have a fire on the beach – lovely.  

Day 12(The Last Night): Ohiwa Beach

The most expensive camp of the trip with the worst weather – bit of a shame as it looks a lovely location. Another time. Sadly we arrived at camp after an unexciting trip along the last part of the East Cape we had to cover. We had stopped in Opotiki for a late lunch in the Guinness Masonic Hotel - I had the best pick - delicious roast Duck.

One of G&B's excursions with the contiki

Strong North Easterlies had followed us down the coast. Rain came in once we were set up so it was a cosy evening in Wendy's once again with cheese & onion toasties (My mum would have loved them). An early night as we decided with the change in the weather to head off early in the morning - G&C and W heading back home to Waihi Beach and us off to Rotorua to head back to the Kapati Coast.

After a night of heavy rain, thunder, lightning, strong winds we woke all a little shattered and in the rain packed up and headed off. Not until W's last issue - her battery disconnected once again just when it rained it's heaviest.  

Great trip Guys – look forward to next year’s trip in Northland.