Not easy to drag ourselves out of bed this morning after a 1am finish... Not to mention all the excitement and tension! But we managed and the big plus was the sunshine! Yippee! Unfortunately our departure after brekkie was slightly delayed due to the fire alarms going off! Once the fire brigade arrived - all was sorted and we were good to go!
We drove over to the beachside with fabulous views all round - especially up the Mountain (Mauao) - bathed in sunshine instead of shrouded in cloud. Lovely walk out to one of the rocky island outcrops with gorgeous views.....no black sand or pebbles! A coffee from a street side van and we were off.
Our drive today took us north along the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula....back through Tauranga. We did an off main road loop to the sleepy little seaside town of Waihi Beach then on to Whangamatta (for soup for lunch). Beautiful spot with amazing green water and a marina area well stocked with craft. Encountered some very windy roads, lush green picturesque countryside with a scattering of rain showers. Kiwi fruit still prevalent and plenty of avocados.
We took another detour to Pauani - really quaint village with wide tree lined avenues. Spent some time with incredibly helpful ladies at the Information Centre working out what we wanted to cover in the area and decided to move on to Pauani's twin town Tairua...further on but facing each other over an inlet. Great view over both from the hilltop. Found the local very basic holiday park . Was only a short stroll to check out the tiny town and find the only restaurant open on Monday night. After a pre dinner drink we were back there for a very pleasant meal (lamb shank & salmon) before having a much needed early night.