Opotiki

Last night was very cold, not helped by the draught coming in under the curtains. I left my fleece top on but it was still cold. Unlike our insulated motorhome with its double glazed windows, the Britz Campervan is a panel van conversion (not much insulation) with single glazed windows and the cold just seeps inside.

Tonight we are in yet another really lovely holiday park in Ohiwa Beach, about 15 minutes drive from Opotiki and it is relatively cheap – only $34. We have travelled alongside the Bay of Plenty today (Whangamata, Waihi, Kaikati, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Whakatane) – initially a very twisty road but finally on relatively straight roads at the end. As usual the backdrop was rugged hills and everywhere was green and lush. We had lunch overlooking the port of Tauranga.

Our current view is over low sandhills towards the sea. In the distance we can see White Island which is about 50 km away and is meant to be awe inspiring, terrifying as well as fragile and beautiful. White Island is NZ’s most active volcano. We could visit it, but it means going out in a boat on rough water so will give this a miss. It looks fantastic, even from this distance. It is not a cold night.

Tomorrow we are stocking up on food, petrol and wine and will be heading off around the East Cape on the Pacific Coast Highway (a narrow twisty road which runs around the coast to Gisborne). This is meant to be a very unspoilt part of the NI and Maori life is centred around their families and communities. There are many Marae (meeting houses) dotted around the cape. You are not allowed to enter a Marae unless invited but we can look at the beautiful carvings from the road.

Food tastes wonderful and is very fresh. At lunch, we finished the smoked mussels that we bought in Coromandel Town – wonderful with fresh multi grain bread. This evening we had sausages, mash and silver beet. The sausages had been locally made, the potatoes were mashed with kumera (like a sweet potato but without the sweetness and they have a coarser texture), and the fresh silver beet was certainly much better than chard in the UK. We have also had fresh asparagus twice (Coromandel Peninsula), and the area along the Bay of Plenty grows avocados, kiwifruit, strawberries and blueberries. We bought some avocados (probably last years) and strawberries are nearly ready to be picked but will probably miss out on these. Lunch tomorrow will be the smoked Orange Ruffy fish we bought in Coromandel Town.

So tomorrow will be the beginning of the trip around the East Cape. That is after we flush the waste water out. We forgot to empty the grey water today and after a day of it sloshing around in the tank there is a sewer like smell coming from the drain hole in the sink! Luckily there is a plug.