knowing we were going to awake to the best of views. We couldn’t possibly have guessed just how good though, we woke at about 7am and Carol raised the blinds so that we could look out while lazing in bed. What a sight greeted us, a pod of Orcas (Killer Whales) hunting and playing about 150m from our bedroom window. Everyone was so friendly and with that sight in mind we decided to stay an extra day and explore the area. It very soon became clear that we were in fact the only guests staying at this luxurious, virtually new hotel and we discovered that the owners who also built it had over reached and just gone bankrupt, the receivers were just taking over and we had by chance arrived just on the cusp of all this and had the place and staff to ourselves. Downstairs was a bar and meeting room and on the second night the local Maori had a get together as a memorial to one of their number who had died the year before.
They gathered us up and completely included us and we had a great evening, all in all a couple of days that will remain in our memories for a very long time.
The following day we reluctantly tore ourselves away and continued our journey around the coast. There were so many beautiful bays and beaches which just had to be looked at and walked on that our progress was necessarily very slow, we arrived late afternoon at Te Araroa from where there is a 21k track leading to East Cape lighthouse (the world’s most easterly lighthouse) late or not it had to be done! It was worth it just for the drive, much of it was unmade road running scarily close to the edge but the sea and views were always worth it and the climb to the lighthouse was good, 700 steps (Carol counted them all).
Time was running out by now and we had yet to find somewhere to stay for the night and fuel was getting low, we hadn’t seen a filling station since Te Puke. We drove over some pretty amazing hill scenery heading for Tikitiki where we hoped to find a resting place. No such luck and by now dusk was drawing in and the fuel gauge was hovering on empty, scary, we pressed on an eventually came to a T junction and were busy trying to make some sense of it when a police car pulled up. Saved at the eleventh hour! He didn’t just tell us where we could get accommodation he took us there and we arrived at our B + B with a police escort and directions to a filling station for the morning.
Set off the following morning (this morning actually) and continued down the Pacific Coast Highway at a leisurely pace stopping off on the way at many places of great beauty and historic interest, I could go on all night but I need my sleep now. Eventually arrived in Gisborne at about 4pm and here we are in Uncle Jim’s town where he arrived in Poverty Bay, have dined in the Motel restaurant on local fish and are now ready for a good night’s sleep in preparation for continuing around the coast tomorrow.
Night night
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
An inspired idea from Carol and a change of plans later sees us setting off further down the coast on highway 2 where we continued to enjoy the lovely weather and always beautiful scenery, including the somewhat surreal sight of a herd of cows paddling in the sea alongside a railway line.
They gathered us up and completely included us and we had a great evening, all in all a couple of days that will remain in our memories for a very long time.
The following day we reluctantly tore ourselves away and continued our journey around the coast. There were so many beautiful bays and beaches which just had to be looked at and walked on that our progress was necessarily very slow, we arrived late afternoon at Te Araroa from where there is a 21k track leading to East Cape lighthouse (the world’s most easterly lighthouse) late or not it had to be done! It was worth it just for the drive, much of it was unmade road running scarily close to the edge but the sea and views were always worth it and the climb to the lighthouse was good, 700 steps (Carol counted them all).
Time was running out by now and we had yet to find somewhere to stay for the night and fuel was getting low, we hadn’t seen a filling station since Te Puke. We drove over some pretty amazing hill scenery heading for Tikitiki where we hoped to find a resting place. No such luck and by now dusk was drawing in and the fuel gauge was hovering on empty, scary, we pressed on an eventually came to a T junction and were busy trying to make some sense of it when a police car pulled up. Saved at the eleventh hour! He didn’t just tell us where we could get accommodation he took us there and we arrived at our B + B with a police escort and directions to a filling station for the morning.
Set off the following morning (this morning actually) and continued down the Pacific Coast Highway at a leisurely pace stopping off on the way at many places of great beauty and historic interest, I could go on all night but I need my sleep now. Eventually arrived in Gisborne at about 4pm and here we are in Uncle Jim’s town where he arrived in Poverty Bay, have dined in the Motel restaurant on local fish and are now ready for a good night’s sleep in preparation for continuing around the coast tomorrow.
Night night
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
An inspired idea from Carol and a change of plans later sees us setting off further down the coast on highway 2 where we continued to enjoy the lovely weather and always beautiful scenery, including the somewhat surreal sight of a herd of cows paddling in the sea alongside a railway line.
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