Wacky winter weather in Opotiki

It's been cold as a father polar bear's disappointed stare some days around the Eastern Bay, makes me glad I'm near the coast and not down in the valley.

But it's produced some rad sunsets and foggy mornings during the past couple of weeks.











Whale Island features a lot because it's directly in front of where the sun goes to sleep.

I keep telling myself that sunset shots get really boring but can't help myself pulling big red over and taking a snap on the way home.

Waiotahi Beach is always a good spot. Often a few people pull over to enjoy the view.

 And Bryan's Beach is always a favourite.

And it's even been thundering and lightning-ing, haven't worked out how to take a decent picture of that yet , but this one shows how bright it was, just about as light as day.

 

Tauranga Track - pioneering day walk

The Tauranga Bridge Hike

Sometimes its good to get away, even if only for a couple of hours.

Taking the Tauranga Bridge Track about 30 kilometres from Opotiki takes about two hours and offers just enough hiking adventure to make your Sunday feel purposeful.

With a French couch surfer and one flatmate we packed up and headed onto the track which extends through the Waioeka Gorge for about two hours, even at my fatty pace.

The track takes you out into the gorge along the Tauranga River and at times you are able to walk through grasslands giving the feeling of complete isolation even after just a few minutes.

The day we completed the hike was after some severe weather events meaning plenty of water kept the river at its peak and mist on the hills giving an adventurous feel to the day.

The trip starts with a picturesque walk across the old-timey Tauranga Bridge, once the old access for farmers and loggers doing it rough in the valley, which was resurrected in 1995 to accommodate travellers.

This loop trail presented a slight problem from the start when we found the start of the trail submerged in water so a bit of backtracking and we were on our way.

Flatmate who had completed the trail once before was sure there was less water the first time.

On the trail home you need to ford the river which had swelled some and the look of it feeding into the mighty Waioeka, stained brown from torrential rain looked ominous.

But a quick test showed it was not so deep and a pass was quick once boots were removed.

Continuing on back home the swollen river made for stunning back drop even with a shirt soaked with sweat and burning lungs from yours truly, it was still magnificent.

Just about done we had to ford the stream again with the help of a rope, which once again made for wet shorts but was easily passable.

A great trip for all fitness levels but a great feeling of being out in it despite the odd bit of litter on the trail.

Paihia and Russel - escape in hell

In the footsteps of scoundrels – Paihia and Russel

When we think of today’s capital in Wellington often sophistication, arts and inevitably politics come to mind.

Russel was the first for the country and paints a very different picture.

A trip around the museum reveals tales of thieves, some say pirates, whalers, sealers and any other human waste that washed up on the shores of what was once described as the hell-hole of the pacific.

The Waitangi treaty grounds to the north and the site of Hone Heke’s flag-pole assassination in Russel conjure images of British toffs in large hats and hipster-jean tight stockings but enquire in New Zealand’s first pub The Duke of Gloucester and the man behind the bar tells it different.

“They still find cannonballs in the hills here because at one time the Navy just said screw it and blasted the hell out of the place because it was such a mess,” a 20-something waiter says.

The Duke is far from the tough-as-nails bar it probably once was with polite staff catering to tourists in walkshorts and practical shoes but still keeps some remnants of its past with harpoons adorning the wall.

The part about the Navy isn’t quite true, sure there are still plenty of cannonballs about but the bombardment came in 1845 when one of (probably) the Duke’s patrons dropped his pipe into a magazine of gunpowder causing an explosion which was taken as an attack which the British ships countered.

I think they were just looking for an excuse.

Arriving from tourist-packed Paihia by Ferry, Russel has the feel of a little Cuba in New Zealand, a place where you could imagine Hemingway hunched over pages of notes and old sea dogs perching on hills looking for whales.

It’s difficult to grasp what these guys got up to when you see they used to catch whales with a 20-foot boat with nothing between them and the whale but a small spear and a notch large enough for a thigh muscle.

The boat sits on display near the town’s war memorial – both tributes to the area’s dark history.

There are many great places to find such as Christ Church which still has bullet holes from long-gone ruckuses.

Most of these are joys to find on your own and there are the a few tourists traps such as Pompellier House where if you are feeling particularly sadistic to your wallet can pay $20 to look at a garden (or as we did, just sneak around and look over the fence)

But the joy of Russell is the stuff not in the programmes or guides which give it a truly Pacific feel – the old cab (still in service), rusty corrugated roves under palm trees, grass-swamped tractors with boat still attached, a wandering fox terrier, the passing of the Spirit of New Zealand (got lucky that day) and rugged coastlines.

Didn’t manage to find a cannonball souvenir though.

Whangarei the long way round

Along the coast road – Whangarei to the North Shore

They say the best way to see New Zealand is to leave the highway and go and find your own path.

I’m not sure who they are but if someone ever said that they were definitely right.

With a solid five hours to kill before meeting family and only a two hour drive between destinations I took my spritely Miitsi RVR, affectionately dubbed Big Red and set out to explore the in-betweeny bit starting in Whanagarei.

A few minutes down the road at Waipu I turned off to the coastal highway which I had been advised was the best way to travel with only the dashboard compass and a teeny bit of local knowledge to guide me.

You first travel through farmland but are eventually shot out at Waipu cove, just a few baches and acres of achingly beautiful waterfront.

It’s the sort of place I can imagine packs out with Auckland holiday makers during the summer but on a November Monday it was pretty quiet.

I can imagine the locals love it here and for the most part feel they can be anonymous in between the tough twisty roads and scrub with only the gulls to judge.

Rounding a corner I was struck by a tremendously kiwi sight of a deeply tanned woman surf casting in a white bikini.

Be yourself indeed.

Heading south(ish) by the compass there are plenty of one-lane bridges, tight turns and gravel to keep you enthused and plenty of friendly road workers who offer a smile.

Arriving further south I arrived at Mangawhai heads which was pretty quiet except for a couple of trade vehicles so I headed to the beach.

Upon arrival I was surprised to find it packed with people, mostly older who had tramped off tour buses and backpackers lazily snoozing in the back of vans waiting for the surf to pick up

I think they must have come the easy way.

Somewhere I made a wrong turn as I ended up at Kaiwaka on the side of the highway which was fine because I was starving and stopped for lunch among one of the awesome little shops they have there.

Heading back out on the coastal road I was once again lost in the sun and loving it and stumbled upon one of the most fun gravel roads I have ever found with big red skipping all the way and was spat back out at Pakihiri Beach - fantastic.

Only a quick moment to take a snap and enjoy possibly the most spectacular beach in the country and I found myself on the road to Leigh.

The tough road.

There are signs warning the road is only one lane and a 35 kilometer speed limit and it was advisable not to take a caravan.

It was pretty evident why but one of the best workouts red has had as we skimmed along tough, tight gravel and bumped along corrugated sections before cresting a hill where Leigh, holder of the famous Goat Island reserve, was spread before us.

It’s worth taking your time here.

There are signs for beaches all along the route and stopping can wield some tremendous prizes as you play a sand, rock or iron beach game of roulette with side roads.

There is truly something for everybody and seemed to be plenty of space for all.

Cruising through Warkworth and turning off at the big tunnel to take the long way around it was just small jump from Orewa to the North Shore for my next stop.

With all the Christmas rush and travel during the silly season, maybe take a bit of time to enjoy the journey as I did and not just your destination.