We left Te Kaha on a clear and sunny day. A little windy so not overly warm but pretty nice just the same. Today we are going to follow Hwy 35 right around the tip of East Cape until we get to Gisborne or until we get tired.
The coastline, now that we have left the Bay of Plenty, is a lot more severe. Rocky shores instead of beaches and dense forests that come right down to the coast.
We followed the coast up to Whangaparaoa where we cut inland and headed right across the tip of the cape. Whangaparaoa is where the first Maori canoes landed in 1350AD. It is pretty hard to fathom someone navigating the Pacific Ocean by canoe.
The drive was only 90 kilometers but it took close to 2 hours with the turns and road construction. It was a really nice scenic drive but as usual there was no place to stop and take pictures. OK, maybe a couple.
Upon reaching the east coast of the cape the first place we came to was Hicks Bay. It's a beatiful area with large hills surronding the bay and its beach. We drove to the north side of the bay and walked out to the old wharf. Prior to getting to the wharf we had to wait for these guys.
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| Excuse us - Coming Through |
It was during our walk that we took pictures from the north side. When looking across the bay you can see where we were going to be driving to leave the area.
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| Beach in Hicks Bay |
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| Southern Coastline of Hicks Bay |
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| Town of Hicks Bay |
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| Old Wharf at Hicks Bay |
We left the area when we were rudely mooned.
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| Same to you. |
It wasn't very far down the road that we came to Te Araroa and turned off the highway. The reason is that we wanted to see the East Cape Lighthouse which is at the most easterly point of New Zealand. The drive out was 20 kilometers and most of it along the coast. The drive was pretty amazing. On one side you had a coastline of rocky points with clean beaches in between. On the other side you had cattle dotted rolling green hills sloping down to the coast. Quite the view!!
The road was pretty narrow and it became even more so when you had to navigate through these fellows.
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| Get out of the way Bessy |
We also came across a Black Swan and her chicks. A camera hog duck snuck into the shot.
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We finally got to the lighthouse and decided to make the climb to the top.
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| East Cape Lighthouse |
Imagine my surprise when we got to the trail and found more stairs. Seven Hundred and Sixty (760) to be exact. It was quite a climb.
When we reached the top, after a few stops to catch our breath, we both agreed the view was worth it.
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| Our Van is the one on the left |
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| The Happy but Tired Couple |
There is an island just off the cape where the lighthouse now stands. East Island or Whangaokeno Island was where the original lighthouse stood from 1900 until 1922. Years of earthquakes saw the steep cliffs slowly slip into the sea so it was decided to move it. The cast iron tower stands 14 metres high and 154 metres above sea level. The light flashes once every 10 seconds and can be see for 19 nautical miles which is equal to 35 kilometers.
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| East Island |
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| East Cape Lighthouse |
Once we had filled our visual appetite we headed back down to the van and the drive back to Te Araroa. We made a quick stop here to view one of the oldest Pohutukawa Trees. It is estimated to be well over 350 years old and is also believed to be the largest of its species in the world.
It was getting late so we headed south again towards Tolaga Bay which has the longest wharf in New Zealand. More on that tomorrow. That is where we are going to stop for the night. The drive was all inland which made for a spectacular journey through the hills. Unfortunately the sun was in the wrong place to get many good pictures, but we did get a couple.
We arrived at the campsite visually sated and very tired. The climb took a lot out of us so we quickly got the BBQ going for supper. I think it will be an early night.
We headed south and as a result drove down the other side of the bay. There was a overview at the top of the ridge so we took a couple of more pictures.
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| Old Wharf at Hicks Bay |
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| Beach at Hicks Bay |
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