East Coast Cruising

Well, we've been there done that. We hit the road for the coast last week. Our first port of call was Tauranga, to see Morty. You see, Morty in a very weak moment agreed to upgrade my computer for me while we were away, so as I wouldn't be going through withdrawals & she wouldn't feel pressured to do a quick job of it Its always fun to stay the night at Morty's Menagerie. its such a vital & ever interesting place. She seems to have this knack of attracting the unusual. From the never ending, (Or so it seems) stream of teenagers to the eccentric animals that make the place their home. Thomas, the cat deigned to share his bed with us, which made us feel just so special.

We stopped at Opotiki to buy a few bits & pieces that we hadn't thought to pack, turned left & headed out. The Coast is like a whole different world that neither of us had ever experienced.

This is one of the old churches that are dotted along the coast. They all have a charm all of their own, & are that cared for that you could almost feel as though you have stepped back in time.



This is the Ruakokore River. Wide shingle & slow flowing streams as opposed to the narrow, fast flowing & rocky ones that we are used to up here.

It's almost as if the early settlers had an acute sense of the dramatic. This is the historic church at Ruakokore. Founded by the early settlers it is still in use & beautifully maintained with a small cemetery at the rear with some really interesting stories to tell on the headstones.

We stopped at Waihou Bay for lunch. Well, who wouldnt with a view like that to contemplate over your salami & tomato sandwiches. The point that you see in the background is Cape Runaway, the place where the Tainui & Arawa canoes first made landfall in New Zealand.

From there the road made its curvaceous way up & over the hills until we finally reached Hicks Bay round 2 PM & checked in at the Hicks Bay Motor Lodge. We decided from there that we should probably do a run out to the East Cape & make the pilgrimage to the lighthouse, "Only 15 minutes walk" according to our congenial host. From Te Araroa, its something like 20 kilometers to the parking area for the walk up to the lighthouse 20 k's of dirt road with cattle wandering free on a large percentage of it. Herself elected at the motel not to change from her boots to her walking shoes, which in retrospect was probably a bad idea. Its more like a half hour walk too the lighthouse, & all of it up hill & all of it steps.

It looks like I've used up my picture allowance So I'll do some more tomorrow. It's time I went to bed. We off to Waikato Hospital tomorrow to finally get Herself's feeding tube replaced with a Mikki button. She can't wait for it to happen... Later all..