Roam Relax Repeat

February 17, 2020

Feb 15

Ohope, where we are staying, is such a nice area that we decided to make it a two-night stop. Today was pretty low key, Lydia couldn’t resist going for a run on endless Ohope beach, it was close to low tide and the beach is at least 200 meters deep and very flat which makes for a great running venue. After the run, we headed out to a quiet rural property called Hukutaia Domain, home to more than 2000 species of native plants and trees. The property is only 5 hectares but is a very dense and natural forested area with some very interesting indigenous species of plants and birds. There are some really old trees there, some estimated to be over 2000 years old. The oldest and most revered tree is the sacred burial tree called Taketakerau….you don’t want to mess with that tree. There are some sacred Maori customs that say if you harm or disturb the tree or the burial grounds in and around the tree the perpetrators will meet their end! We really enjoyed our walk through the domain – lots of interesting kiwi habitat. After our forest walk we re-provisioned for the day and headed back to camp. The afternoon was spent boogie boarding in the waves (Don) and beach walking / swimming (Lydia). Had a great meal inside the van as the wind picked up and was a bit cool – very cozy in the van. Tomorrow we head south a little to the geothermal town of Rotorua – lots to do and see there. Oh yeah, while we were on the beach, we noticed an island far off shore with smoke coming from the top – turns out it’s White Island, the volcanic island that erupted in December killing 13 people. It is approximately 50 km offshore but quite visible on a clear day.

Feb 16

Cloudy morning – but not much haze, able to see White Island quite clearly with its plume of volcanic ash. Lydia went for her morning run…I think I will have to join her tomorrow morning. After the run we chatted with one of our campsite neighbours, New Zealanders, they are here, as are many of the campers, for a surf lifesaving competition. Their son was competing. They provided us with some travel tips for the South Island which we quickly made note of so as not to forget. Today we head for Rotorua, the geothermal hot spot of New Zealand. En route we stopped in at the surf club to check out the surf lifesaving competition. New Zealanders really promote this sport being a maritime nation with so many people participating in water sports. We watched a few heats of competition, there are a number of different skill events, both individual and team efforts – it was very impressive to see these young teenagers’ abilities in the water. After moving on from the beach, we made a quick farmers market stop in Whakatane – not very extensive but we picked up a few items for supper.

Once in Rotorua we plan to spend three nights to give time to check out the many options in the area. Arrived at our destination campsite on Blue Lake just south of Rotorua. We did some minor setup at the site and then went for a 5 km hike around picturesque Blue Lake. There was a fine mist falling but we hardly needed our raincoats and by the time the hike ended the sun was breaking through. After the hike we decided to take advantage of the hot tub at our campsite, which you can book for ½ hour sessions, very nice. Then it was time for happy hour and dinner. Looking forward to tomorrow and exploring the area.