13 January 2012

Roadtrip part 2 - the final chapter

After our river-crossing hot springs adventure, Rosie and I bid farewell to the gang and hit the road. The plan was to explore the East Cape, which is accessible by one main road that snakes around the whole thing along the coast, with state forest backing onto it. The scenery was pretty spectacular the whole way.

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On the first night, we were determined to get some good fish and chips and find a spot to camp near the beach. When I say 'we', I mean I. Rosie agreed, though. This was a no camping area, but look at the horse! Lots of horses around here. People ride them to the shops.

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Jackpot! We found this place as we rolled into Tolaga Bay.

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They did not disappoint. Wrapped in newspaper and everything. We took them to the beach.

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It was worth the wait.

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Doesn't get much better than this. Can't think of any suitable puns, but it is a pretty suggestive scene.

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Double rainbow! We had spotted one of these on our way in and knew it was a sign that this was the place for us.

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We set up camp nearby, between two flowering pohutukawa trees.

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Our campsite also was next to a graveyard. Spooky? Not really. I was cool with it. Note the horses in the background. They're everywhere.

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We borrowed Sam and Jessica's blow-up mattress to sleep on in the back of the car. It was a bit squishy and ridiculous in there, and to make matters worse, we had lost the mosquito repellent and the little buggers were everywhere! No ghosts to speak of, though.

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After a morning swim, we had a bit of a look around the township. It's a nice place! Wish we could have stayed on for a while (in a better bed).

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It even had a skatepark! A multi-spined affair.

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We drove on, to another amazing bay that starts with T. This one was even better! We swam. The water was cold but lovely.

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We had a hot tip that they did big ice creams at the dairy. It proved to be correct. I sampled an NZ delicacy - goodie goodie gum drops ice-cream. Delectable! I also enjoyed jelly tips.

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This beach doesn't look that flash, but the water was lovely and warm.

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Interesting van

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We made it all the way around the Cape in two days. It was a ridiculously beautiful, endlessly winding road. We managed to get a bach (beach house - what's the deal with bach - is that like beach without the e?) for the night in a touristy town at the end of it. It was a cool little place!

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Lots of driftwood washes up on the beach here. People make crazy structures out of them that wouldn't look out of place in a Melbourne artist-run gallery. This one got the seal of approval from a passing JRT.

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Gen told us to check out the geothermal thingees outside of Rotorua. I'm glad she did, because they are freaking incredible!

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It was like being on another planet. A stinky planet.

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The shock factor was starting to wear off when we came across this bright lime green lake. Absolutely amazing.

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Nearby was a bubbling mud pool, like the swamps of sadness.

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We stopped at an exciting waterfall/rapids.

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We also stopped in Foxton, the home of Foxton Fizz softdrinks and once the home of Caroline Anderson. It was like the whole town had been art directed by Caroline, in fact.

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The enigmatic Mona Rosie

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Stopped for chips again at a chip shop Rosie went to when she was ten years old. This impressive tire swing was near the beach. I wanted a go, but there were some teenagers sitting in the tree and I didn't want disturb their summery chats.

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Our last beach for the holiday

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And that was it! It was a great holiday. Stay tuned for more adventures.

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