Ryan got strategic and took us on a longish drive northwards so that we could stop at all sorts of places coming back down south and to our camp site. Smart. So we drove close to 2hours to the town of Waipu. First stop though was for coffee at a spot outside Sheep World.
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We stopped at Kaiwaka before hitting Waipu. A croissant and a doughnut were procured from the bakery. There we also purchased a glorious medium aged gouda from the Kaiwaka Cheese shop. Inside was a range of imported Dutch foodstuffs. Quite entertaining. We popped into the Info Centre and chatted to a very friendly lady about places to go over the next few days. Her daughter was getting married the next day so she was pleased it was raining today, in the hopes that there would be no rain left for tomorrow. Can’t say we were altogether pleased about the rain. It was a typical New Zealand rain, just more than a drizzle, enough to get you wet. But not enough to prevent us getting out and doing things!
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Waipu is a seaside town with quite a lot of heritage sites. Apparently quite a lot of historical buildings from the 1850’s to be viewed, but we skipped that. We did stop at the coastal wildlife refuge. There we saw some kite surfers in action and Ryan chatted to an ex-SA dude who was a kite surfing instructor. I liked the cemetery right alongside the coast. Seems like a nice spot for your spirit to go roaming.
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Mangawhai Heads. Apparently some incredible walks and views around here. I think we were pretty brave just getting onto the beach for a few minutes. The weather was pretty yuck at this point.
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Pakiri Beach. Quite beautiful. The weather was settling a bit and so the hues of grey and blue could be better enjoyed.
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Some in-action driving shots:
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The little town of Leigh looks over Goat Island. This is a marine reserve good for snorkelling. If it were a drier day I would have loved to spend a couple hours clambering around the rocks and exploring a bit. The benefit of poor weather was that the place was pretty desolate. Nice having the quiet and the spectacular scenery all to ourselves.
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Before exiting the town we stopped at the Leigh Sawmill and Brewing Company. These guys are a boutique brewery that have a cafe alongside. The cafe interior is a mixed bunch (dare I say eclectic mix?) of fittings. Mismatched wooden benches, tables and chairs. Five types of lighting fixtures to be seen just in the top right photo (plus a mirror ball which just rocks!). Somehow it all works and is quite a relaxed spot.
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A long winding back road with some beautiful scenery took us into Matakana. We had kind of planned to hit Matakana in the early afternoon and do some wine tasting at the vineyards in the region. But alas, time flies when you’re having fun, so we were way too late for that. We went into ‘The Vintry’, a wine bar that serves wine from the region. Seemed a good way to get a taste from a couple of vineyards while being seated quite comfortably on the deck. I tried out two yummy Pinot Gris. Ryan went for French style red blends. Met an ex-South African lady behind the bar who shared with us her favourite walking spots in the area. The Vintry is within a small complex that houses a 3-theatre movie place. The foyer for the movies was a mid-20th century furniture dream. Loved it!
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Back to Martins Bay campsite. Boerewors was cooked on our mini braai/BBQ. Served on rolls with some chutney purchased at Puhoi the previous day. And sunset was just before 9pm.
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Day 2: about 250km travelled.
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