Our place at Maraehako Bay Retreat was spectacular! I just can’t imagine what somewhere like that would cost in the states. It just couldn’t happen! For one thing, I’m pretty sure there were/are no building permits! Looking around it this morning, it’s like a rabbit warren, with rooms and dormitory rooms tucked away in all the corners, and decks and staircases coming out of nowhere. A real treehouse.

This morning was clear and beautiful. The seas have died down somewhat, but there are still big waves crashing onto the bulkhead, shaking the place. We had breakfast on the patio, and met the Maori owner of the land, is name is something like Piki, his son was the one who greeted us yesterday. Very chatty chaps.

I did my first New Zealand driving. What a windy road! Up and down and round and round, slowing down for areas that had been washed out and were under repair. But with it being clear today, we could see the spectacular views – water to the left and hills and valleys to the right. And masses of cattle and sheep. I came around one corner, slammed on brakes to avoid the onslaught of cattle. An enormous herd was being moved down the road so I turned off the motor and we sat for about five minutes while the cows went by us, giving us the eye! Beautiful, glossy beasts on their way to being milked.

Drove down to see Litton Point, there is a motel there, but there was nobody at the office – just a sign that he would be back at 2:30 and that was at 11! He must have gone fishing. That road would have been more comfortable in a 4x4 especially as we kept bottoming out in our little car. Along the way, we found the Manuka Oil factory and store. It comes from a plant that looks like a tea tree, but has a small pinkish white flower and is indigenous to New Zealand. It’s not a pungent but apparently has the same therapeutic effects as tea tree oil. It is a sustainable harvest too, and driving along you see the bush cloaking the hills with it’s pretty little flower. I bought a small soap made from manuka honey that smells wonderful.

Pulled in to Te Araroa that has the largest pohukatawa tree in the world. It is over 350 years old and grows in a school that is named after the tree. The beach across the road from it was spectacular too – the beaches go on forever, these ones are white sand but we’ve seen some that are black or very dark. We had lunch there, sitting on the stone benches. The town itself is almost nothing – a post office, two very small “dairies” or small grocery stores, the police station and a few houses. It is actually amazing that here is this spectacular setting, backed by tall cliffs facing the sea on a beautiful bay, and there are so few people.

Around two we thought we should look for somewhere to stay, so the next town, Te Araroha looked like it might be the spot, but once we got there, it had less to offer than the one before! Again a beautiful beach, but here the bank had even closed down, a lovely 1918 or so building, and all we found was a tavern.

So off we went again thinking we might have to go all the way to Gisborne but found this little town, Tolaga Bay. Right at the entrance to town, is the inn, so pulled in and booked a couple of rooms. The place was build in the 1920’s and is in the process of being restored. So the rooms are funky, very high ceilings and we have a double and two twins in ours and Zoze and Bryan have a double and one single. Bathrooms down the hall. But everything is clean and it looks like lots of hot water for showers.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Pickled Walnut. The young man who served us was a kick, he is a local boy who came back from Auckland to take care of his parents and now works in the restaurant with his Uncle Tommy the chef. Chris and I both had rack of lamb, well, after all we are in New Zealand. It was perfectly cooked, and everything about the veges and stuff was great. Drank the local Tolaga Bay wine and we all dug into desserts afterwards. The walnuts that they use in a lot of the dishes are local, having being brought over years ago by the British settlers. Originally, they would fruit and all the nuts would rot on the ground. Then Uncle Tommy talked to all the tree owners and he harvests and pickles them. He has planted a field of them out back of the restaurant.

Too bad there isn’t a Country Life magazine around that did stories like the Uncle Tommy’s and the Manuka Oil.

This side of the island appears to be much drier – the hills actually look quite brown in places and the rivers are very low. But last night it poured, blowing through in gusts that rattled the roof. It’s windy this morning and I am sitting in the “lounge” writing this in word and will go to the cyber center later and hook up to the internet and post these and the pix.

Pix at the shutterfly link on the left