Day 20 Kerikeri, Mangonui and Matauri Bay

When we woke up this morning we were not sure what the weather was going do, rain, shine, rain, shine.  It couldn't make up its mind but the one constant was the wind.  In talking with the locals we are being told that this is not the norm for this time of year.  Normally it is a bit warmer with very little wind.

As our time in Northland is drawing to a close we decided to head out anyways.  We jumped on State Hwy 10 and headed to Kerikeri which is about 20 kilometers north of us. No sooner had we parked the van when it started to rain, hard.  So we headed to the nearest coffee shop and got a latte and hot chocolate to wait things out.  After our coffee we did a little shopping, I got a haircut and we had a look at downtown Kerikeri.  While we were shopping it cleared up so we decided to head on with our plans with one exception.  We had been told on about three different occasions that we had to go to Mangonui for fish and chips.  We heard it again today so we headed to Mangonui.



The Best Fish and Chips

We found the right place and order lunch.  On the menu today was Hapuka which is a type of Bass or Grouper. Hapuka are a large slow growing, long lived species. They mature at 10-13 years with a life span of up to 60 years. They can grow as large as 80 kg but are more common around 20 – 30 kgs. They would look with this fellow.

Hapuka

The downfall was that when we got there we learned we had to catch our own fish.  Kathy volunteered and I doubtfully let her go and quickly started looking for the hamburger stand.  However, she came through and brought home the bacon, I mean fish.



Here's Lunch



When the meal arrived, it came the old fashioned British Way and the proper way.  In newsprint.



Real Fish and Chips



Well, it turns out we ordered too much and of course we ate too much.  It was very good and we gave them a Canadian thumbs up.  Do you think they were impressed?

After lunch we headed to an overview that gave us an excellent panoramic view of Mangonui Harbor, Coopers Beach and across Doubtless Bay to the Karikari Peninsula.  The site was once a Maori Pa named Rangikapiti and was built here because of its location.  A Pa would be similar to a fort of the old west.

Maori Pa

The wind was so hard on the hill that it was difficult to hold the camera still.  It still didn’t detract from the beauty.




Mangonui Harbor




Entrance to Mangonui Harbor



Coopers Beach




End of Karikari Peninsula



Our next big decision of the day was, do we drive around Doubtless Bay to the peninsula or do we head down to Matauri Bay.  We opted for Matauri Bay due to the time and the fact that most of the land around the beach was private which would obstruct our view.

So we headed south on State Hwy 10 which took us inland past Mangonui until we came to Matauri Bay Road.  At this point we turned toward the coast and started one of the nicest drives we have been on.  There was a little déjà view as the first part of the drive had us twisting and turning and climbing.  The road had many 25 KLM corners and then we hit the top and with a hard right turn we were on top of Radar Hill and this beautiful scene below us.



View of Flat Island and Richardson Island




View of unknown Bay





Not a bad place to have a house.



After enjoying the sight and taking a lot of pictures we continued on and came to Wainui Bay.  The difference here was that we were at sea level which gave us a whole different perspective.  It was just as nice.



Secluded Beach in Wainui Ba





Wainui Bay





Wainui Bay Coast line



Te Ngaere Bay was the next stop and again the view was from sea level.  We stopped for a quick look to take pictures. 



Te Ngaere Bay









Beach in Te Ngaere Bay





Coast Line in Te Ngaere Bay



The wind was really starting to gale up and it brought a little colder weather with it. So we headed off and again we started to climb.  Once we reached the top we could see Matauri Bay so we stopped at the first of two overlooks to enjoy the view and take some pictures.



Another view of Flat and Richardson Islands





Looking back towards Te Ngaere Bay






















 

The next overlook came us just as nice if not a better view of Matauri Bay with Richardson and Flat Islands in full view.

Matauri Bay



Matauri Bay




Richardson Island



It was getting late so we headed back to the resort for a late supper and some serious blogging.  It was another excellent but windy day.  I think we are finally starting to get the hang of this retirement thing.