Te Arai Point

Today we decided to make the most of the warm sunny weather and headed north to Te Arai Point just south of Mangawhai to catch some sun and do a bit of fishing. The beach heading north from the point is a typical east coast long sandy beach and good waves for the surfers out there.




The cove in amongst the rocky point provides a good pool for jumping from the rocks - will leave that to others though...






And to the south another little beach. We spent most of our time on the main beach fishing catching lots of small kahawai but no keepers. Definitely fish out there though and the good drop off at the beach means good deep fishing water, so a place to return to in the future.

Chelsea Refinery Heritage Park & Kauri Point Centennial Park

Today we decided to explore an area of the North Shore not previously visited. First stop the Chelsea Sugar Refinery park area - this famous building known for its vibrant pink colour is easily seen from the city looking across the harbour.




The park gives great views back to the city and harbour bridge.






We then went a bit further around the coast to the surburb of Chatswood and went for a walk in the Kauri Point Centennial Park where lots of young kauris have been planted to regenerate native bush. This is the view down to Kendall Bay and across the harbour.

Taste of Auckland

Today we went to Auckland's newest food show Taste of Auckland with Darryl & Alistair. This was a showcase of Auckland's top restaurants and chefs with various tasting plates from each restaurant available to buy.




We sampled several dishes during the day including this wagyu short rib from dine by Peter Gordon. Our first experience of wagyu, but not our last of the day.




Logan Brown were special visitors for the day from Wellington, and a restaurant we hope to visit later in the year. The paua ravioli is one of their house specialities and lived up to its reputation.





This wonderful belly pork dish brought back happy memories of our meal at French Cafe with Mum & Dad nearly two years ago, and hopefully we will go back again sometime soon.





Also there were Appletons Rum, so we spent some time in a tasting session where we got to sample 4 different rums ranging from their standard rum right up to the $150 a bottle Master Blender's Legacy. We also sampled some of their yummy cocktails.




We bought some wagyu steak from the Neat Meat Company, who supply most of the top restuarants, and cooked for dinner when we got home. The most amazing steak with loads of flavour. A great day and an opportunity to eat at some of the best restaurants without paying the huge bill at the end!

Bay of Plenty Beaches

Unfortunately our holiday has ended and our trip back to Auckland included several stops at various Bay of Plenty beaches to see potential holiday destinations for the future. Unfortunately the weather changed today so quite wet and windy meaning big waves and barren beaches. First stop was Matata.



The next beach was Pikowai, the location of a forthcoming fishing competition which would be tempting after looking at the beach and amazing waves, unfortunately the timing is not suitable for us.






Papamoa Beach is just to the east of Tauranga with some stunning houses and a beautiful beach, there is also a Top 10 campsite here which we plan to visit in the forthcoming months (weather permitting).

White Island

Our anniversary treat was a trip to White Island, NZ's most active volcano and 50km offshore from Whakatane. The boat journey out gave us good views back to the coastline, including Whale Island and Mt Edgecumbe (a dormant volcano) in the distance.




On arrival at the island, we disembarked the boat onto a motorised dingy to the old wharf and access to the volcano crater.





We were all equiped with hard hats and gas masks for our safety, though I don't think they would be much use if the volcano decided to increase activity!





The scenery of the island is dramatic and makes the thermal areas of Rotorua look quite tame. The crater is barren and all you can hear is the hissing of steam.





The colours on the island are quite amazing, sulphur is prolific so lots of yellow, which the photos really don't do justice.






There are lots of vents with bubbling mud or water and lots of steam.






This is the largest steam vent in the crater and the noise is incredible.






We also found this amazing sulphur crystal formation.







The view from the back of the crater back down to the sea.







The crater lake is pretty much pure acid and temperature varies but can get up to 75 degrees. Constant steam coming off the lake.






The island used to be used for sulphur mining and the remains of the old mine can still be seen. Sulphur is not dangerous so no harm to the miners, just not a fun way of life.





The view from the mine back up the crater.







The view back to the crater as we headed back to the mainland.







A fantastic trip, the best thing we have done in NZ, and a recommended trip for anyone who can stomach a fun boat ride!






The end of our day was spent fishing on Ohope Beach where we were treated to the most stunning sunset (too busy fishing to take photos!) and we came away with two nice kahawai for smoking back home.

Whakatane

For our anniversary we decided to splash out on a trip to White Island, but before we left we explored Whakatane. This is a view from the hill behind the town over the harbour.





Whakatane has a lot of Maori history, including Muriwai Cave - one of the most sacred and historically significant sites in the region.




Opposite the cave is a ceremonial waka.







At the entrance to the harbour is a statue of Wairaka, the daughter of Toroa - 200 years ago when the men left the waka and went ashore leaving the women on board the waka drifted out to sea and Wairaka broke the tradition of women steering a waka and safely brought the boat ashore. The statue is to commemorate her braveness. In the background is Whale Island.

Ohope Beach

Our next stop for two nights was a cabin at the Top 10 campsite at Ohope Beach just to the east of Whakatane. The beach is 11km long and popular for surfing, fishing and, as you can see, horse riding. This is taken from the campsite and Whale Island is in the distance.



The other end of Ohope Beach is known as the West End and is the main surfing area. As the tide was out the seagulls were gathering to try and find pipi shellfish in the sand.




On the other side of the Ohope peninsula is the Ohiwa Harbour, another popular spot for fishing, though we decided to try our hand on the beach - no success this evening.

Lake Rotoiti to Whakatane

Today we headed to our next destination - Whakatane and Ohope Beach, and on route stopped off at the many lakes on the way. The first stop was the other side of Lake Rotoiti from where we stayed.






Next stop, the much smaller Lake Rotoehu.





And the final lake of the morning, Lake Rotoma.







Our final stop of the morning was the small township of Kawerau, not much there other than a paper mill, but they do have a small award winning boutique brewery so we bought some of the beer to sample later in the day.

Lake Rotoiti

For our wedding anniversary this year we decided to have a long weekend exploring some new areas of the country. Our first stop was Lake Rotoiti to the north east of Rotorua, a very peaceful and beautiful spot.




We booked a scenic view cabin at the campsite at Okere Falls, and it lived up to its name with views over the campsite to the lake.






We borrowed a double kayak from the campsite and had a bit of a paddle around the lake which we really enjoyed - I think a kayak is now on the list to buy in the future. This is a view back to the campsite, boat ramp and wharf from the lake.

MOTAT

Today we went to the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) for the Military Weekend activities. There are two sites to the museum, the first one being the home to the aviation display with the highlight being a Lancaster bomber.




Amongst the planes was this rather bizarre model which didn't have a long lifespan with one of the known flaws being stalling and plummeting to ground!





For the military weekend, there were many historical enthusiasts dressed up and playing with guns, replicating World War II and Vietnam War. It was impressive array of military stuff.





To get between the two sites there are frequent trams which have been renovated from previous use in various NZ towns and Melbourne.





There is a mixture of activities on this site including a 4D capsule simulator flight over the Southern Alps, historical telecommunication equipment, the tricks and tools for being a spy and buildings from Victorian Auckland along with the stocks.




Back at the other site we watched the replica MASH Sioux helicopter doing brief scenic flights which seemed quite popular.






And then got the steam train back to the car. A great day out with loads to do and see.

Bluffies!!

The start of March means the start of the Bluff oyster season for 2 months. An expensive delicacy but a once a year blow out. Delicious!