Whakatane to Gisbourne Via (Te Kana, Waihau Bay, Te Araroa, Tikitiki, Anaura Bay and Tolaga Bay) 24th to 26th March

Well, after an awesome few days in Rotorua it was back to the allure of the coast. We spent the first night just outside Whakatane or as the Maori's pronounce it, Fuakatane. As we awoke the first morning Rachel attempted to fish in the sea only to find the same problem I had experienced in that it was overcast and freezing cold. However we attempted it all the same, although it only took 30 minutes before we both saw sense and waited for the sun to appear. Meanwhile we got back in the camper and headed for Whakatane. On arrival in this prime fishing town it was no surprise that the main dish on everyone's dinner table was fish. We then spent much of the day fishing off the rocks, looking out to sea and listening to the gentle splashing of the water against the rocks although with our bait out the squawking of the seagulls was also a very prominent cry. After again failing to catch a thing we made our way back, a little before 14.00, to avoid high tide. Our three day fishing trip had started well, no fish as expected, the question is after three days when I write this am I still going to be fishless, and I would bloody hope not that's for sure! We drove a little further up the road into a quaint little place called Ohope, a sandy spit just off from Whakatane. The sea here was beautiful, very much like a beach in Australia just without all the people, bliss, I hear you say. As we prepared lunch we watched hundreds and hundreds of birds land and chat on the beach and then with every passerby they would all lift into the sky like a swarm of bees disturbed from their hive. After lunch, with the sun beaming down on us, we just laid back and absorbed the freedom, Rachel crashed out whilst I sat and day dreamed looking out into the Pacific Ocean.

As evening started to pull in we headed towards the end of the sand spit for a bit of evening fishing. Hoping that our luck had changed from the morning we set up in the Port Ohope Scenic Reserve. We laid out our deck chairs and placed our rod firmly in the sand so that it did not get pulled in by a big one! Rachel sat in anticipation, and I laid back and read my book. The birds were going crazy and as the sun dropped we got our first bite, I reeled it in but lost whatever was on the end or at least I though I had when suddenly out of the water came our first fish, 'a star fish'. Yeah OK I guess it does not count but still I had caught something… We sat back knowing what the outcome would eventually be but that could not spoil the purple sky above us. Soon the sun descended further behind the hills and the sky erupted into a fiery red once more. As the last of the light faded we headed to the camper hungry for some dinner that we cooked in the peaceful surroundings of nature before heading off to find a place to sleep for the night.

The next morning we started our trip around Waihau Bay. We felt like we were on the great ocean road again, cliff drops and the ocean smashing into the rocks below. As we drove we felt even more cut off from life, with every corner came more land empty bar a few cattle. Every so often we did pull into small villages where the people around were all of the Maori culture. Their homes were very different to what we are used to and also their way of life just as differrent. One noticeable fact was that in every garden there stood a horse, glorious in their statue and looking healthier than ever, they brought life to somewhat dormant areas. Further round the coast, just off Oruaiti Beach, we noticed a small church with nothing else around it and infront of the church a small quiet grave yard only a few meters from the sea, probably the most peaceful setting to lay to rest I have ever seen in comparison to many grave yards I've seen along the side of roaring roads. The church itself stood out a mile, bright white upon the greenest of hills, pretty is the best description. The road headed inland at this point and Rachel sung away as the hills rolled either side of the road. Eventually we rejoined the coast and pulled into Hicks Bay, a town in the middle of nowhere but with a stunning bay with translucent waters rippling at its shore. As we looked over the bay from atop a cliff we noticed some rather large birds eggs, three to be exact, of which kind I would not have a clue but the country is rife with all varieties of birds, most notable eagles.

The Pacific Highway continued round and after leaving Hicks Bay it was not long before we found the Manuka natural oil solutions plant. Here they made natural remedies from sources such as honey; it was here we finally brought our first batch of New Zealand honey. For days we had both been craving it after driving past endless hives just short from the road. After we invested in our honey we pulled into the small village of Te Araroa, a tidy area, with a tiny school, supermarket and information centre. We pulled up at the shore line at the bottom of the road in the village; Rachel jumped out and went for a look in the local supermarket for some bread whilst I looked in the 'I Site'. It was here we stopped for lunch and tried our new honey, sweet and delicious we ate nearly half the jar, or should I say I ate nearly half the jar. With some left over bread we watched the sea gulls fight over it as we chucked it out before getting back on the road. The next town to pass through was called Tikitiki and here we jumped out and visited a Marae (Church). Although similar on the outside to others we had seen once inside the wood carvings were spectacular. St Mary's Church was rebuilt on a WWII remembrance site and on the stain glass window was a picture of two Maori Warriors knelt beside Jesus leaving a real sense of the culture that surrounded us.

Continuing further south we passed a number of beautiful viewpoints overlooking villages and the ocean. The one at Waipiro bay was particularly nice and as we pulled in we passed a small station wagon. In it were two Maori lads, huge in statue and quite intimidating from afar, perhaps they were up to no good as they seemed pretty startled when we got close. However, their friendliness and helpfulness was fully appreciated in the conversation that followed but you can probably imagine our first thoughts when we had a guy weighing probably about 20 stone, leaning in the window, fully tattooed from the head down whom also introduced himself as Taric chief of …. Land. Well we wanted a lesson in culture and it started here. As we departed to our overnight stop in Anaura Bay we reminded ourselves never to judge a book by its cover. After we pulled off the highway onto the dirt track towards Anura the farmland took hold, sheep and cows at every corner. One thing I did not expect was to drive around the corner to find the road filled with cows, "we were nearly going to be living off 'beef road kill' for the rest of the trip. Eventually they shifted off the road and other than the odd wandering sheep the road was clear. The next corner would immerse our soles with a view of peaceful tranquility. With a setting of turquoise blue waters and golden sand we arrived at our home for the night. With not a sole in sight, a back drop of cliffs and crashing waves and a private beach for the night to ourselves the scene was set and even without the champagne and three course gourmet meal (instead spag bowl served with hot chocolate and marshmallows - Rachel's budget) we had a fantastic night - playing cards. 'Oh yeah, forgot to say two cows also tried to gatecrash.'

The next morning we crawled slowly from our pit, with no Mum around to flick cold on the face we have to make do with the tweeting of birds and crashing of waves, probably a too peaceful alarm clock, hence why we awoke late. As we pondered over breakfast about what to do for the day we decided to make tracks to Tolaga Bay. This town was slightly more built up with a supermarket and a garage; it also boasts New Zealand's longest Wharf. That answered how our day would unfold and with so many fishermen out on the wharf I was confident today had to be our day to finally catch some dinner. As we pulled in to the car park the wharf seemed to extend for miles, along its right side huge cliff faces, similar to the cliffs in Los Giganties in Tenerife only slightly smaller. With the fishing rod in hand we set up right at the end of the wharf near where all the locals were fishing and enjoying some success. It had to be and Rachel could hardy bare the excitement as she gripped on firmly to the rod. Local Maori's jumped off into the ocean where they collected the New Zealand Green Mussels from underneath, one even came over to us and gave us some for bait. We really should have kept them for dinner, he said "Live off the land Bro" a saying that will live in memory as it's the way Maori's have lived their entire lives. As time went and we failed to catch a thing the last of the locals went leaving us his half cut Kaiwai for bait, "it was big enough to have fed us for dinner!", this also failed and it was at this moment that I finally accepted I was not going to grow up to be a fisherman.

After lunch we headed to the town where the generosity of the Maori people was shown once again. We headed into a local store after some tips for fishing and we were sorted out with some new bait and a new hook apparently ideal for the area. Our confidence grew and the chap was a true gent in his sale so how could we say no. We then spotted a motor home site overlooking the wharf and we both figured that after 8 days without a shower "yuk" that perhaps we should pay for a camp site, do our washing and wash ourselves. So once the price was agreed we did just that, a $24 shower in our eyes but it would be worth every penny, it was even hot. We spent the afternoon washing our clothes or should I say Rachel did and I fixed up our line with the appropriate gear so we were set for another evening attempt at 'catch my supper'. Before that I decided to help with the clothes washing, well the drying of them but it did not take long for me to cause a stir… well I broke the washing line… for those who know Rachel you can imagine the look I received.

After dinner we headed out for one last attempt on the Wharf and as the sun descended one more time the only positive we could take from the whole fishing experience was that we had seen some stunning sunsets. As the sky turned dark and the stars filled the sky we headed in for our million dollar shower, "the highlight of the day, it was soooo good" my body could not thank me enough and we even had clean sheets for bed. The following day we made the final tracks into Gisbourne where we stopped only briefly for lunch, the drive there had been the highlight, the culture, the people and the scenery had made the entire east coast stand out for its secluded beauty.