Day 5 Hicks Bay to Morere Thurs Jun 26
I really wanted to go to East Cape lighthouse, just to say I had been to the eastern-most part of NZ. Probably against Avis rules, because the road is gravel for about 10k and a bit scary to drive, I did go there, but chickened out from climbing 600 steps up! On my own I did think about what happened if I fell, nobody would know till they spotted my car and people die every year in NZ going ‘tramping’ on their own.
The road going down the east side of the cape doesn’t hug the coast, and was a bit easier to drive, the west coast was very tiring. I noticed lots of scrap cars in the backyards of the local ‘shacks’, and also lots of horses. I did meet 2 herds of cows being driven by Maori cowboys, the old-fashioned way but a very good idea now petrol is so expensive. I took photos of the old Shipping Company building in Tokamuru Bay, now in ruins but there was a box in the door asking for ‘koha’ (donations) for the upkeep! The bay itself is a beautiful turquoise, and some very up-market houses were under construction on the small slope behind the beach, I bet it is reasonable to build here, but a long long way from anywhere. I stopped in Tolaga Bay, some distance south of Tokamuru, for coffee, and heard people discussing where they bought petrol to go into ‘town’, being Gisborne, over 30k away!
I had intended to stay the night in Gisborne but had not booked anywhere. I wanted to see both Cook Memorials, since this is where Captain Cook first landed in NZ. The view above shows ‘Young Nick’s Head’, named after the lookout boy who first spotted the anchorage. Cook called the area Poverty Bay, because ‘it afforded not one single thing we needed’ (a paraphrase!), but it is very fertile round about. Gisborne was being dug up, maybe as a result of the earthquake last December , but at any rate I couldn’t get near either place I wanted to see. I debated stopping in town, and if I had I would have gone to the Museum, which I’d have known about if I’d taken my 1001 Things to do in NZ book which was a gift from Avis. I have used it extensively, but it was too heavy to put in my case to take on the train. I decided to drive on to the next place, Morere Hot Springs, because I love hot pools. I was able to book a cabin across the road, which was lovely, almost new, though I had no food with me so had to buy a very expensive tin of soup from the tiny shop to heat up later for my supper. Then I went and sat in some very hot pools of ancient sea water, very unusual, and the pools were stainless steel so it was a bit like being cooked for supper! Bliss though, it’s my very favourite thing to do in NZ.
I really wanted to go to East Cape lighthouse, just to say I had been to the eastern-most part of NZ. Probably against Avis rules, because the road is gravel for about 10k and a bit scary to drive, I did go there, but chickened out from climbing 600 steps up! On my own I did think about what happened if I fell, nobody would know till they spotted my car and people die every year in NZ going ‘tramping’ on their own.
The road going down the east side of the cape doesn’t hug the coast, and was a bit easier to drive, the west coast was very tiring. I noticed lots of scrap cars in the backyards of the local ‘shacks’, and also lots of horses. I did meet 2 herds of cows being driven by Maori cowboys, the old-fashioned way but a very good idea now petrol is so expensive. I took photos of the old Shipping Company building in Tokamuru Bay, now in ruins but there was a box in the door asking for ‘koha’ (donations) for the upkeep! The bay itself is a beautiful turquoise, and some very up-market houses were under construction on the small slope behind the beach, I bet it is reasonable to build here, but a long long way from anywhere. I stopped in Tolaga Bay, some distance south of Tokamuru, for coffee, and heard people discussing where they bought petrol to go into ‘town’, being Gisborne, over 30k away!
I had intended to stay the night in Gisborne but had not booked anywhere. I wanted to see both Cook Memorials, since this is where Captain Cook first landed in NZ. The view above shows ‘Young Nick’s Head’, named after the lookout boy who first spotted the anchorage. Cook called the area Poverty Bay, because ‘it afforded not one single thing we needed’ (a paraphrase!), but it is very fertile round about. Gisborne was being dug up, maybe as a result of the earthquake last December , but at any rate I couldn’t get near either place I wanted to see. I debated stopping in town, and if I had I would have gone to the Museum, which I’d have known about if I’d taken my 1001 Things to do in NZ book which was a gift from Avis. I have used it extensively, but it was too heavy to put in my case to take on the train. I decided to drive on to the next place, Morere Hot Springs, because I love hot pools. I was able to book a cabin across the road, which was lovely, almost new, though I had no food with me so had to buy a very expensive tin of soup from the tiny shop to heat up later for my supper. Then I went and sat in some very hot pools of ancient sea water, very unusual, and the pools were stainless steel so it was a bit like being cooked for supper! Bliss though, it’s my very favourite thing to do in NZ.
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