Kiwi Roads: NORTH ISLAND ROAD TRIP (PART 2)

Sorry for not posting this sooner, but I had a bit of a mishap – apparently my computer does not like to drink wine as much as I do ;) Anyways on to the next part of our trip! So after a restless night we were up early and were surprised to see the sun shining and blue sky. Our hostess and old granny with the face tattoos were nowhere to be seen so we paid the man who was downstairs and got on the road. We needed to get petrol in town but when we pulled up a bit before 9 everything was shut up and we realized the pumps were padlocked down. Not even sure where to pay for the petrol as there was no obvious building associated with the pump, nor any sign to direct someone where to go, we waited around until 9 hoping someone would show up. Right on cue cars and people all started showing up at 9, and after asking at one general store, we were directed to the second one to pay for petrol. Must have been Te Araroa’s rush hour as there were 3 cars behind us waiting for petrol when we finished!

So off we went down the East Cape Road determined to go see the lighthouse at the very tip of the cape, and the most eastern place in NZ. The mostly one lane gravel and dirt road followed along the northern cost of the cape giving us beautiful views of the coastline and the cliff and hills just inland with farmland crawling with horses, cows, and sheep in between. Once in awhile the cliffs would creep closer to the coast making the drive a bit treacherous with little to no barrier between us and the sea. After 22 km of bumpy road we made it. As we came around the last bend we had a great view of the East Cape lighthouse up on the cliff and East Island just off the coast where the lighthouse used to be in the beginning of the 1900s. We parked at the bottom and made the 150 meter climb to the top using the conveniently placed 500 steps. The day had started to turn stormy again and it was so windy up on the top of the cliff, being right at the tip of the cape did not afford us any protection from the wind! Got some nice pictures and learned about the history of the lighthouse and island before heading back down and starting the bumpy ride back to town. As we drove around the last set of cliffs before making it back we realized that there were several waterfalls dotted along the cliffs that we hadn’t noticed before. Such a rugged and remote landscape way out there, but strangely beautiful at the same time.

After stopping back in town for some sweets we got onto the inland road towards the south side of the cape in order to make our way down to Gisborne. The roads on this side of the cape were still windy but not as bad as the north side, although they did not hug the coast as much. Rain made it hard to appreciate the views and landscape, but we did stop in Te Puia to enjoy the hot springs that were written up as being built in the Japanese style. Someone definitely look some creative licenses in their description... the hot pools turned out to be a in a shed behind a rundown looking hotel that seemed to be lacking any guests. A young boy answered the door and showed us to the office where we paid 5 dollars each to go soak in the milky sulphur water. Odd experience, but enjoyable (besides the smell) nonetheless. We at least got the pool all to ourselves and it was nice to sit in the hot water after our climb to the lighthouse. The hot pools in NZ all warn guests not to put your head under the water due to the risks of bacterial meningitis, although even without putting our heads under the steam and sweat due to the heat had us dripping by the end anyway.

From there we continued onto Tolaga where NZ longest wharf is located. The sign at the start of the wharf states that it was built so ships could load and unload cargo during any tide but was abandoned when cargo was diverted to the larger port of Tauranga. The sign at the start of the wharf stated that it was 660 meters long, but we think parts of it must have decayed into the sea. However after walking the entire distance and beginning our way back we got caught in a driving rain that soaked us through in seconds and wind that stopped us in our tracks – definitely making it feel like 660 meters back! Thankfully public bathrooms in the parking lot made it easy to change into some dry clothes and we were back in the car for the last 50 km to Gisborne. In Gisborne we stayed at a YHA that was a nice change from the creepy house we spent the previous night in. Clean and comfortable with a heater in the room, we settled in and then walked across the street where we found a little shop claiming to be ‘The Best Roast on the Coast’. A hot roast home-style cooked meal was just what we needed after our long wet day!