Monday, 29th January 2024
Sandra:
Today we were moving to Gisborne – further east and up the coast. There was a good reason why we were making this slight detour. I have a friend who lived here for many years until she was in her 20s. She was born there and had many memories of the area. When she learnt that we were making the trip she had wondered if we would get there – not to make a special journey of course but if we were passing, might we take some photos? It was not that much out of our way and curiosity was certainly pulling us to that area. We were not to be disappointed as there is plenty of history and a very busy, mainly logging port, to look at. The information I had been given also added to the overall interest. Perhaps the one downside was when we visited her old house to take a photo – it was certainly in need of a coat of paint and some tlc. Her mother and father had gone to live out there as he was a water engineer and was involved in the development of water management schemes all over the East coast in the 1970’s and 1980’s. I now have a shopping list of items which were favourites, crisps and chocolate!! Fortunately, they are sold all over but are brands specific to NZ. I will purchase them when we return to Auckland – especially as the temperature is starting to rise again as we head further North.
I was looking forward to Gisborne, not least because Trev and I never made it there on our trips here in the 90’s – after Napier we headed inland to Taupo.
We would continue to head north east on the SH2 – most definitely the poor relation of the SH1. Roadworks aplenty, particularly as we left the coast and headed inland about 30 minutes north of Napier. Much of the work was dealing with rock falls and shoring up where the road had collapsed away down the mountainside. Such is the volume of traffic compared to the UK that you generally don’t wait for long though – there’s generally a worker stationed by the temporary lights at either end brandishing a radio and they are nearly always up for a cheery wave as you go past. This particular section was very busy with heavy logging lorries and that maybe a reason the road needs a lot of maintenance.
The road pecked the cheeks of the coast again at Waihua then headed inland a touch and brought us to Wairoa where we paused for coffee. Lonely Planet didn’t paint a particularly appealing picture of it and it did have that feel that it had seen better days, however the main drag overlooked the river and – having since picked up some leaflets on the town – we perhaps should have explored a little more and a reminder that guide books are just that, they shouldn’t be treated like a bible. Other religious texts are available. No matter, the coffee – and cake for Sandra – was good from a joint well patronised by the locals. Always a good sign.
At the north eastern tip of Hawke Bay sits the Mahia Peninsula and we contemplated a stop here but it had clouded over and was threatening rain so we pressed on.
Gisborne sits in Poverty Bay – named by one Captain James Cook after arriving here, having a bit of barney with the local Maori and coming away empty handed, after some bloodshed. This area was apparently where he first sighted New Zealand although that particular event fell to another shipmate – more of that later.
Sandra:
We are now in the final stages of our trip and many emotions come and go – it continues to be an awe inspiring trip – we still have plenty to share with you. So, back to our arrival at the Gisborne motel….
We knew beforehand that there were no cooking facilities at this motel, other than a microwave, toaster and a kettle. It looked to be a virtually brand new building and what was there was of an excellent standard. Having to use the bathroom sink to wash the few breakfast dishes and cups was a minus point. The bathroom was fully accessible and air conditioning was most welcome.
Stop 27 | BK's Palm Court Motel | Gisborne | 2 nights | NZ$180/night
The weather was certainly not helping – heavy downpours and heavy winds. It seems to be a feature of the East coast so far. Once unpacked, we drove into Gisborne and drove around a little bit to get our bearings. We then opted for McDonalds – not drive thru sadly, which in hindsight would have probably been the more sensible idea, as by now it was really throwing it down and the 5 yards from car park to front door ended up in us both being more than a little damp! Dinner duly consumed we returned to the motel to dry off and plan the following days sightseeing.
The unit may not have had cooking facilities but it had the benefit of fast and stable WiFi so, VPN and HDMI cable deployed we were able to start on the latest series of Trigger Point via ITVX.
Todays journey:
Tuesday, 30th January 2024
The next day started dry, bright, and remained so for much of the day thankfully. We had a few places in mind – it is a city of monuments and considerable history. I will let Richard describe the monuments we saw. It was an enjoyable day and I certainly learned quite a bit of history too. Gisborne itself, as we were to find out, is something of a poor cousin to cities further north along the coast. Currently, it does not attract cruise ships and if they were to be enticed to berth here, then its fortunes could so easily change.
I do love a lookout point, particularly if it can be reached by car and Gisborne – Gizzy to the locals – duly obliged with a 2nd gear trundle up to Kaiti Hill for some lovely views.
Next up was the Captain Cook monument, near the dockside. Adjacent was an installation acknowledging the importance of Gisborne to the Maori – who discovered New Zealand long before any Europeans. That is something I have noticed since I was here in the 90’s. There is a drive to show more of New Zealands’ early history, without ignoring the part played by arriving Europeans later on. No cancel culture here it seems, just a desire to tell the whole story.
There was another memorial to old Jimmy Cook here but also to Young Nick – the lad who was actually the first on Endeavour to sight the land that came to be known as New Zealand. The head at the southern end of Poverty Bay is named after him.
Gisborne has another first to its name – it’s the first city
in the world to see the sun each day, though not the first place in New
Zealand, that accolade falls to a settlement on the East Cape – an area we
sadly will not get to see. This time..
Sandra:
That evening, not wanting another fast food takeaway, we perused the information leaflets and web and found an Italian restaurant named Portofino. We decided to give it a try as we had not had Italian food in a while. We were not to be disappointed; a most delicious and authentic Italian meal was consumed. We returned home to the motel and a good sleep before our next hop up the coast tomorrow.
And a glass, well two, of a superb local Merlot….
Wednesday, 31st January 2024
Today was the next port of call Tauranga – again on face value you would not necessarily call it a holiday destination – but you would be missing a delightful city, spread over many islands and connected by a seemingly endless supply of road and rail bridges between them all.
First off, there is the journey. We left Gisborne in mixed weather and had miles of relatively straight roads through vineyards, orchards, more avocado places than you could imagine. It is certainly a big growing area.
We stopped for our usual coffee and cake at Opotiki, just before we hit the coast. We picked a local Bakery Café on the high street – delicious coffee and cake but it was exceedingly hot that day.
We pressed on up the coast, stopping for photos where space permitted, some of which will appear here I am sure. Lunch was in the Whakatane area. By now the sun was out and it was very warm indeed – the views over the ocean were a sight to behold.
Fortunately, Ms Google Maps did not let us down on arriving in the Tauranga area, the roadway system is numbered American style but there are so many inlets it is quite possible to end up on the wrong one. We arrived at the motel, 30C was noted!! We checked in – the motel advertised the free use of a hot thermal pool; we would try that out later. The room was large and comfortable and had good facilities – the only downside was no air conditioning and in those temperatures it would have been much appreciated. It had a big fan which certainly helped a lot and did duty on a good number of occasions. It was also in a very quiet spot, again something which we have come to appreciate.
Stop 28 | 18th Avenue Thermal Motel | Tauranga | 2 nights | NZ$152/night
A visit to stock up at the supermarket and refuel, we were now back on full kitchen facilities until we arrive back in Auckland. It has been a lovely part of the trip; we have never gone hungry and we have managed to produce a meat and two veg dinner when required. There has, of course, been the obligatory desserts!! We returned to the motel and the lure of the thermal pool was calling, a quick change and we made our way to the pool. It was not as luxurious as Hanmer Springs but was perfectly usable and we enjoyed a lovely half an hour or so soaking in the pool. We returned to the apartment, showers and then a lovely dinner and our usual evening ended a very pleasant day indeed. We had a harbour boat trip to look forward to tomorrow, a massive harbour/port, (subsequently we learnt it is the biggest in NZ), more of that tomorrow.
Todays journey:
Thursday 1st February
We woke to a beautifully bright sunny day and after the usual cuppa and brekky we fired up the Elantra again and headed into the town centre. It was immediately clear that money was being poured into Tauranga, lots of current and recent developments and it all looked very smart indeed. Passing through the town we entered Sulphur Point, passing behind the container terminal. We’d already seen a number of ships in and were to learn later the Tauranga is NZ’s busiest port. The end of which gave lovely views of the harbour across to Mount Manganui and another wharf for the bulk carriers.
To our left was one of a number of marinas with some very tasty and expensive looking vessels.
Sandra:
There was some debate as to which boat we would have each – of course Richard picked one with as much black on as possible – I would have made good money on picking that one out!!
Coffee was taken – of course - and it gave me a chance to peruse my Marine Traffic app which indicated that another container ship and a cruise ship were on their way in.
Our boat trip went from Mount Maunganui so we headed across one of the many bridges to find a spot for lunch near the departure point. Whilst there we saw first the cruise ship, then the container vessel arrive, the tugs greeting them and guiding them in.
To sit and watch at close quarters, the boats manoeuvring around and the, by comparison, tiny tugs pushing them this way and that is always fascinating to watch. Marks out of 10 for neatness and speed of course – some armchair experts we are!!
We parked up and ate our lunch very close to the departure point – a few minutes stroll and the jetty was there. What had not been clear was that you needed to get your feet wet to get on the boat. For me that was not a problem but for Richard in his usual Doc Martin boots and socks it was a different story altogether. Fortunately for us, not so much for the boat operator, we were the only two people on this turn round the harbour, so we had time to remove footwear etc and board the boat.
For the next 1.25 hours we toured around the very large harbour with excellent and knowledgeable commentary. There is a Maori statue both guarding and welcoming the harbour channel which we passed. We also stopped to pick up some people who had stopped off at an island on the previous tour. Tauranga is a 24 hour port – there is no tidal issues so boats come and go all the time.
We then drove around the other side of the spit of land and sat and ate a lovely cooling ice cream in the shade. A stroll along the beach and we realised that they were setting up for a beach volleyball competition that evening – I counted at least 12 pitches being marked out – very carefully indeed and heights of nets were being checked and double checked too. It was mid-afternoon and still way too hot to contemplate playing that level of matches in that heat.
We returned home to another cooked meal – we passed on another dip in the Thermal Pool it was way too hot for that. A good night’s sleep and we would be ready for our next stop up the Coast.
That’s it for this part and very nearly the trip as the time to return home draws near. Just one more blog post to come, as we spend a couple of days on the Coromandel Peninsula then return to Auckland before the flight home.
Thank to everyone that has stuck with it and taken the time to read and to comment so far - it's very much appreciated, as always.