Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We drove down the rest of the Coramandel occasionally and round the coast to a little DOC camp ground right on the coast called Matata we had a nice evening stroll along the beach, it was pretty cool as it was a clear night and we could see Whakaari/White Island which is an active volcanic island just off the coast. The next morning we headed into Whakatane and had a nice wander around (mainly looking for surf!!) The next spot was Opotiki where there was surf (and in the book it explained the beach to have good beginners waves . . . perfect for Debs!!) We spent a nice bit of time in the water then found a nice spot to chill and sunbathe before moving on! We decided that we needed to head inland as we had had a lot of beach time recently, Lucy and her neighbours in Auckland had mentioned to us about a lake and a cool road south of where we were so we decided to go for it! The road was indeed cool! It went through the Huiarau Range and it was very hilly, very dusty and very windy!!! We loved it, the views were stunning and there were loads of wild horses on the road. We did have to stop at one point and open the boot though as all the dust from the un-mettaled road had gone in the van!! From then on we wound our windows up!!! We eventually reached Lake Waikaremoana and settled ourselves into the Mokau Landing DOC site . . . . right next to the gorgeous lake! The next day James decided that he wanted a big trek or run and i wanted a 'stroll' :) so . . . James went of pack on back in his gear and ran the Ruapani Track (a 6 hour walk that took him 2.5 hours!) and i wandered up to Lake Waikareiti and then down to the beautiful waterfalls! We were both very satisfied! That night we made a fire in the DOC site with a lovely couple Rhys and Tara who are currently immigrating to New Zealand from the UK.
- comments