2kiwis

We didn’t have time to do the full Lake Waikaremoana great walk but I still convinced Keryn that we should do a section of the track. The Panekire Bluff rises high above the southern shoreline and promised great views, if only the weather would play along. It didn’t look good as we drove to the starting point, the top of the bluff shrouded in cloud.

The intention was to walk to a point called the Bald Knob and then turn back, 3 hours one way. We shared the track with a family who were starting the great walk, planning on taking 6 days to complete the circuit. There was plenty of motivation in seeing three kids (the youngest would have been about 8?) walking with their parents up the relentless slope that was the first hour, everyone loaded up with gear (Mum and Dad having far more than the kids).

We huffed and puffed out way uphill and then along the ridge which meandered up and down with viewpoints appearing regularly. One attraction for me was the so called goblin forest found on the back of the ridgeline, the trees draped with moss and fading into a white distance when the clouds were low.

We walked for about 3 and a half hours before finally taking an extended break for lunch. Along the way we stopped often to look for birds and were rewarded with sightings of whitehead (popokotea) and tiny rifleman (titipounamu). I’m not sure if we ended up at the Bald Knob, the area we found was just off the main track in an area of eroded clay and rock and there were a couple of trampers there who had come from the hut a few hours further on. The views were very good, though I got nervous every time I looked at the edge of the cliff a few feet from where we sat.

The return journey was faster, we stopped less and had more down than up to contend with. The sun even came out a few times and the cicadas were in full chorus as we walked down to where the car was parked.

Showers were taken and food cooked while we avoided the crowds of kids being served their dinner. One more night and then we’d be off towards Gisborne.

Leaving Napier we drove towards Lake Waikaremoana in the Te Urewera National Park. The road degraded as we headed inland, become largely gravel, and the weather came in as we drove along leaving us driving through rain under a grey sky. Still camping we were booked for two nights at the Lake Waikaremoana Motorcamp and we arrived to more rain. We found a tent site that looked like it wasn’t going to flood and set up the tent, at which point the rain stopped.

Rather than mope around the motorcamp we headed out for some short walks. The first walk was very short, a 5 minute stroll from where we parked the car down to the Papakorito Falls. The bush around the falls was regenerating, so the falls stuck out against the sky. For most of our time in the afternoon we saw no one else, having the views to ourselves.

Heading back towards the motorcamp in the car we parked next to the Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre and took the Hinerau Walk, the loop track taking us past the three waterfalls that make up Aniwaniwa Falls. The prettiest of the three is the Bridal Veil fall, set in what almost looks like a grotto of green trees and ferns. Keryn patiently waited on a convenient bench while I took photos.

The other falls had more volume of water, the upper part called Momahaki Falls and the lower part referred too as Te Tangi o Hinerau. We saw these two falls from both sides of the river, once done on the Hinerau Walk we crossed the road bridge and walked down the Aniwaniwa Falls Track to get the alternate views. The path ended next to the river near where it empties into Lake Waikaremoana and there were some nice views across to thick forest and stands of toitoi.

Walking back uphill we stopped a few times for more photos and then went back to the car. At the motorcamp we prepared dinner in the common area kitchen, sharing the space with a few tourists and a school group who seemed to have enough food to cater for twice their number. While it stayed damp we were lucky in that we never really had any heavy rain or wind, so a good sleep was possible. We had found our old air mattress had a leak while camping in Napier so had bought a new one from the warehouse. I’m glad the deflation occurred while we were able to easily procure a replacement.

Being in Napier it seemed only natural to visit a winery. We took ourselves to the Church Road winery for a tour and tasting. The first tour of the day only had six people including us so it was a quite intimate tour, though I’m thinking that touring wineries is something we won’t be doing much more as once you’ve seen the process once you’ve pretty much seen it all. Having said that at Church Road they had a couple of standout rooms. The Cuve Room with its large oak cuves (barrels) was very nice and the Tom McDonald Cellar, named for the wineries founder, is a striking room set up for functions overlooking the rows of barrels.

After the tasting we ended up buying a bottle of wine and also a fruit bowl made out of a recycled barrel (Patricia, if you read this, it’s similar to the one you bought at the Drylands winery in Marlborough).

Heading towards the ocean we next paid a visit to the New Zealand National Aquarium. We spent a little over an hour looking at all the exhibits and got to see a diver hand feeding the fish in the main aquarium while the curious visitors watched from the glass walkway that circled through the tank. It was a nice enough visit, though the aquarium looks tired and many of the fish and other animals were listless. The tuatara looked horrid compared to the Zealandia specimens I’m used to seeing, and there was one shark with a chunk out of its jaw. I don’t think we’d go back unless there were kids in tow.

Keryn had done a lot of research for the trip and in the afternoon we drove out near Havelock North to visit the Birdwoods Gallery. Named after the sculpture business of one of the owners the gallery has artwork from New Zealand and Africa. The owners Bruce and Louise Stobart came to New Zealand from Zimbabwe, providing the African link. The metal sculptures are wonderful, I ended up buying a Pukeko who now can be found walking across the living room floor at home.

Outside the gallery there is a separate building that houses an old fashioned sweet shop (which we didn’t visit) and out the back a sculpture garden featuring work bought in from Africa. We wandered around looking at the pieces in the garden, a set of three iron giraffe watching as we went from piece to piece.

We could have spent much more money, and I think we will be back here in the future (when we finally get that house perhaps). Birdwoods is worth a visit, if you’re in the area go have a look.

As an end to our driving around we stopped at the Filter Room, a bouteque brewery know for its ciders and beers. We selected six cider & beer variations for a tasting tray and sat outside while drinking them all. We talked to a british guy who had cycled out and had to be back in town in 20 minutes to return his bike, I don’t think he would have made it back in time.