2006/05 NZ trip - Taupo Bay |
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Wednesday May 17th
I’d hoped to get down south to the Bay of Islands that day, but there was just too much to see. We saw a signpost pointing to the Te Paki sand dunes. These were the dunes we had seen in the distance from Cape Reinga. Up close, they are enormous. I waded across the stream that runs around the edge and climbed the first line of dunes, hoping to get a view of Cape Reinga and the ocean, but all I could see was a second line of dunes with sheer faces. In between was a small lake, an oasis in the dunes, and a half-
buried mountaintop with strange eroded rock formations. I decided not to cross the rock and climb the dunes as I had bare feet, but a young Italian guy climbed to the top and was screaming “mare mare’ down to his wife, so I guess he could see the sea from up there.
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Te Paki sand dunes (1.23) |
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Spirits Bay (3.53) |  |
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A few miles on we saw a pointer to Spirits Bay and that seemed a good spot for lunch. It ended up being a half hour drive down a logging road to the Kapowairua campground. 
Spirits Bay turned out to be another beautiful spot, a beach made entirely from tiny shells, and with glowing green mountains to the south.
After all this scenery it was mid-afternoon before we set off south. And then there was another stop to look at the emu in the midst of a flock of turkeys. The farmers put cows, sheep, and turkeys in the same field, so why not add emus to the mix? We retraced our route down the Aupori peninsula, and then turned to go down the east coast towards Auckland. This side of the island is more developed, with grander houses and gardens, some with beautiful flower displays.
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Emu farm (1.46) |  |
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We ran out of daylight and camped at Taupo Bay, another scenic spot, but this time we had to share it with the residents and their bungalows. We arrived at the same time as a young Scottish couple who were working their way around the world. The owners of the campground were off fishing, so we picked a spot and set up, assuming we’d meet them in the morning. I went for a walk on the beach, but I was just too late for the sunset. The sea was very still, just a gentle woosh as the little waves rolled in. It hadn’t once rained since breakfast time, a
record for this holiday!
Thursday May 18th
We awoke to bright sunshine and the singing of birds. The black 
bird with the white wattles is a tui, and the one with the illuminated eye is a silvereye. The two ducks are shelducks,unusual with the differently coloured heads for males and females (dimorphic) and the tall bird is, appropriately enough, a stilt.
We opted for a walk on the beach, very pretty with a crescent of sand and cliffs of green vegetation on either side. The village seemed to be empty; mostly holiday homes and the owners were of
f working during th
e week.
We met the campground owner and paid for our night’s stay. He recommended a scenic drive along the coast, and that’s what we did. The road winds up over the headlands, and then dives down to little hamlets on the bays. It was slow going but the views were worth it. We stopped for a cuppa on the beach at Te Ngaere and visited Matauri Bay, wh
ere we saw this really weird row of Norfolk Island pines, each with a different growth pattern.