East Cape
Here's the full story...!
Wed 2nd Feb: Mt. Manganui
We both went for a run on the beach in the morning, in the rain again unfortunately, but the weather is still really warm. We couldn’t see much of Mt. Manganui because it was so clouded over, so we decided there wasn’t much point in climbing it that day, we’ll come back via there after Eastlands so if the weather is better we’ll do it then. Spent a couple of hours in Tauranga, looking in some shops and walking through the city, but again the pouring rain didn’t allow for great views. Driving on towards Whakatane, we stopped at Kohioawa beach just before reaching Matata, and had some fun with the sporting equipment floating around my car J Tennis – volleys back and forth, the target of 100 was easily reached but it was good fun anyway. Frisbee – improvements were definitely made, but then I wasn’t too special to start with so I could only get better! A few close escapes when my throws drifted towards the sea, but most of the time we were able to get it back without getting too wet! On to Whakatane, to Ricky & Anne’s house (friend’s Gav met when he was here and we’d all met up with in Queenstown last July). Great to see them again, and “The Garage” is definitely an impressive hangout spot. Nice relaxing evening with a few drinks in the garage, and finally sleeping in a real bed for the night!
Thurs 3rd: Whakatane
We did a bush/coastal walk from Whakatane to Ohope Beach plus back via a loop track through 3 scenic reserves. Otarawairere Bay was a lovely sheltered and shell-covered beach just before Ohope, where we stopped to tackle the crossword for a while. Back for a shower and drink with R & A before leaving to continue driving east around the cape, leaving my car at the house. We found a perfect beach camping spot just passed Opotiki driving east around cape. Had a walk on the beach just as it was getting dark…I love going to sleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore – it’s such a nice feeling!
Fri 4th: East Cape
Had a run on the beach plus a quick dip in the sea...driving east, brief stops at Torere (maori gateway to school), motu river spot (crossword stop!) and just passed Te Kopua. We did a walk to a waterfall from Whanarua Bay, following a creek upstream – took ages to find the actual start of the track but once we got there it was really refreshing to paddle in! Continued on to Te Araroa, unfortunately in constant rain and mist. Waited around for a while and then drove out toward the lighthouse at East Cape. We climbed over a gate and up a hill following where we thought the track should be, but despite fairly good views of East Island we couldn’t find the lighthouse. As soon as we returned to the car there was a slight clearing of the mist, and of course the lighthouse was visible no more than 100m from where we’d been standing at the top of the hill! Back up on the real track this time, we made it to the ‘real’ top! On our way back we found another perfect campsite not far from the lighthouse itself and right on the beach yet again.
Sat 5th: East Cape (continued)
Ran back to the lighthouse in the morning with much clearer views than the night before, then back along via the beach to the car. We started down the East Coast, without rain but still quite overcast. A couple of brief stops - of course for another crossword attempt at Waipiro Bay, and then again at Tolaga Bay to do the Cooks Cove Walkway. It was a nice hike with a great lookout over Cooks Cove, and some great viewpoints through Hole in the Rock and round the cove itself. We both scrambled up opposite cliffs to get views all around, then I decided to be a true kiwi and walked back for an hour in bare feet! (actually my sandals were giving me blisters, but it felt surprisingly good in bare feet). Continuing down to Gisborne, we had ice-cream on the beach at Wainui, then went into a bar on the wharf and recharged the computer plus downloaded some pictures whilst having a couple of drinks! We found a good spot in the free camping zone just east of Gisborne, near Makarori Point.
Sun 6th: Gisborne --> Lake Waikaremoana
Went running on the beach in the morning, along to the marine reserve and back to our campsite. Drove into town and hiked up Kaiti Hill for views over Poverty Bay and towards Young Nick’s Head. We drove down to Mahia Peninsula, and spent some time on the beaches there, which were amazing. On one side we walked around the cliffs to a sheltered bay, then had some short stops on the other side with fantastic views of the coastline. We drove up to Lake Waikaremoana, left our bikes at the Onepoto Trailhead, then continued around to start the track at Hopuruahine Landing. We were a bit late in starting our ambitious adventure, but covered about 10km before it started to get dark, so we bush-bashed our way up a valley beside the river to pitch our tent (free camping as long as you are 500m off the track!)
Mon 7th: Lake Waikaremoana
Continuing the mission, we hiked the remaining 36km around the lake, which was a superb track. The last part was a steep climb up to Panakiri Bluff, followed by a steep descent down to Onepoto. We ran parts of the downhill track, and time was definitely ticking as we still had a 32km bike ride on unsealed road back around to the car. This was a real slog, and after an hour it was in the dark, but I could say it was masochistically fun to complete the adventure with head-torches on. We were pretty shattered when we reached the car though…
Tues 8th: Whirinaki National Park, Rotorua
Feeling like a lazy day, we drove up to Rotorua with a couple of stops in Whirinaki National Park. We walked the Whirinaki Falls loop track, and then sat by the lake in Rotorua eating some more ice-cream (just for a change…) We had a short walk through the Californian Redwood Forest, then continued on to the Blue and Green Lakes. We also had a short stop at the Okere Falls before driving back to Mt. Manganui to stay another night there.
Wed 9th: Mt. Manganui
With completely different weather to what we had 8 days ago here, we woke up to blue skies and sunshine with great views all around the mount. I went for a run around the base of the mount, then along the beach a short way, before we both walked up to the top which was superb. The weather was so good we spent the rest of the day around the beach - swimming in the sea, sun-bathing, reading, and attempting (pretty unsuccessfully) to do some crosswords. On the way back to Whakatane we stopped again at Kohioawa beach to play Frisbee, but this time we unfortunately lost it in the sea (I was blatantly too slow with my catching efforts…but I’ll blame Marcel’s throwing skills anyway J ). Staying another night with Ricky & Anne before the next adventure begins...
The overview...
The weather wasn't quite so good going round East Cape, but the rain & mist kind of added to the feeling of really being 'off the beaten track'. Searching for the waterfall track was worth the time, and finding the 'hidden' East Cape lighthouse was pretty funny. Cooks Cove Walkway was really nice...I made my debut as a real kiwi walking barefoot on the way back! Great camping spot just north of Gisborne, although I didn't get my 'must-have' shower until a few days later after Lake Waikaremoana...just had to make do with a swim in the sea!
2/2 - 9/2
Wed 2nd Feb: Mt. Manganui
We both went for a run on the beach in the morning, in the rain again unfortunately, but the weather is still really warm. We couldn’t see much of Mt. Manganui because it was so clouded over, so we decided there wasn’t much point in climbing it that day, we’ll come back via there after Eastlands so if the weather is better we’ll do it then. Spent a couple of hours in Tauranga, looking in some shops and walking through the city, but again the pouring rain didn’t allow for great views. Driving on towards Whakatane, we stopped at Kohioawa beach just before reaching Matata, and had some fun with the sporting equipment floating around my car J Tennis – volleys back and forth, the target of 100 was easily reached but it was good fun anyway. Frisbee – improvements were definitely made, but then I wasn’t too special to start with so I could only get better! A few close escapes when my throws drifted towards the sea, but most of the time we were able to get it back without getting too wet! On to Whakatane, to Ricky & Anne’s house (friend’s Gav met when he was here and we’d all met up with in Queenstown last July). Great to see them again, and “The Garage” is definitely an impressive hangout spot. Nice relaxing evening with a few drinks in the garage, and finally sleeping in a real bed for the night!
Thurs 3rd: Whakatane
We did a bush/coastal walk from Whakatane to Ohope Beach plus back via a loop track through 3 scenic reserves. Otarawairere Bay was a lovely sheltered and shell-covered beach just before Ohope, where we stopped to tackle the crossword for a while. Back for a shower and drink with R & A before leaving to continue driving east around the cape, leaving my car at the house. We found a perfect beach camping spot just passed Opotiki driving east around cape. Had a walk on the beach just as it was getting dark…I love going to sleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore – it’s such a nice feeling!
Fri 4th: East Cape
Had a run on the beach plus a quick dip in the sea...driving east, brief stops at Torere (maori gateway to school), motu river spot (crossword stop!) and just passed Te Kopua. We did a walk to a waterfall from Whanarua Bay, following a creek upstream – took ages to find the actual start of the track but once we got there it was really refreshing to paddle in! Continued on to Te Araroa, unfortunately in constant rain and mist. Waited around for a while and then drove out toward the lighthouse at East Cape. We climbed over a gate and up a hill following where we thought the track should be, but despite fairly good views of East Island we couldn’t find the lighthouse. As soon as we returned to the car there was a slight clearing of the mist, and of course the lighthouse was visible no more than 100m from where we’d been standing at the top of the hill! Back up on the real track this time, we made it to the ‘real’ top! On our way back we found another perfect campsite not far from the lighthouse itself and right on the beach yet again.
Sat 5th: East Cape (continued)
Ran back to the lighthouse in the morning with much clearer views than the night before, then back along via the beach to the car. We started down the East Coast, without rain but still quite overcast. A couple of brief stops - of course for another crossword attempt at Waipiro Bay, and then again at Tolaga Bay to do the Cooks Cove Walkway. It was a nice hike with a great lookout over Cooks Cove, and some great viewpoints through Hole in the Rock and round the cove itself. We both scrambled up opposite cliffs to get views all around, then I decided to be a true kiwi and walked back for an hour in bare feet! (actually my sandals were giving me blisters, but it felt surprisingly good in bare feet). Continuing down to Gisborne, we had ice-cream on the beach at Wainui, then went into a bar on the wharf and recharged the computer plus downloaded some pictures whilst having a couple of drinks! We found a good spot in the free camping zone just east of Gisborne, near Makarori Point.
Sun 6th: Gisborne --> Lake Waikaremoana
Went running on the beach in the morning, along to the marine reserve and back to our campsite. Drove into town and hiked up Kaiti Hill for views over Poverty Bay and towards Young Nick’s Head. We drove down to Mahia Peninsula, and spent some time on the beaches there, which were amazing. On one side we walked around the cliffs to a sheltered bay, then had some short stops on the other side with fantastic views of the coastline. We drove up to Lake Waikaremoana, left our bikes at the Onepoto Trailhead, then continued around to start the track at Hopuruahine Landing. We were a bit late in starting our ambitious adventure, but covered about 10km before it started to get dark, so we bush-bashed our way up a valley beside the river to pitch our tent (free camping as long as you are 500m off the track!)
Mon 7th: Lake Waikaremoana
Continuing the mission, we hiked the remaining 36km around the lake, which was a superb track. The last part was a steep climb up to Panakiri Bluff, followed by a steep descent down to Onepoto. We ran parts of the downhill track, and time was definitely ticking as we still had a 32km bike ride on unsealed road back around to the car. This was a real slog, and after an hour it was in the dark, but I could say it was masochistically fun to complete the adventure with head-torches on. We were pretty shattered when we reached the car though…
Tues 8th: Whirinaki National Park, Rotorua
Feeling like a lazy day, we drove up to Rotorua with a couple of stops in Whirinaki National Park. We walked the Whirinaki Falls loop track, and then sat by the lake in Rotorua eating some more ice-cream (just for a change…) We had a short walk through the Californian Redwood Forest, then continued on to the Blue and Green Lakes. We also had a short stop at the Okere Falls before driving back to Mt. Manganui to stay another night there.
Wed 9th: Mt. Manganui
With completely different weather to what we had 8 days ago here, we woke up to blue skies and sunshine with great views all around the mount. I went for a run around the base of the mount, then along the beach a short way, before we both walked up to the top which was superb. The weather was so good we spent the rest of the day around the beach - swimming in the sea, sun-bathing, reading, and attempting (pretty unsuccessfully) to do some crosswords. On the way back to Whakatane we stopped again at Kohioawa beach to play Frisbee, but this time we unfortunately lost it in the sea (I was blatantly too slow with my catching efforts…but I’ll blame Marcel’s throwing skills anyway J ). Staying another night with Ricky & Anne before the next adventure begins...
The overview...
The weather wasn't quite so good going round East Cape, but the rain & mist kind of added to the feeling of really being 'off the beaten track'. Searching for the waterfall track was worth the time, and finding the 'hidden' East Cape lighthouse was pretty funny. Cooks Cove Walkway was really nice...I made my debut as a real kiwi walking barefoot on the way back! Great camping spot just north of Gisborne, although I didn't get my 'must-have' shower until a few days later after Lake Waikaremoana...just had to make do with a swim in the sea!
2/2 - 9/2
posted by Mhairi
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