We packed quickly, the weather had cleared and we wanted another go at snorkelling at Goat island. High tide was at 7.30 and we arrived just after 9. The rocks we had scrambled over yesterday were submerged, the waves were rolling in, (surf conditions were rated as a 9 , excellent for surfing but not for snorkelling!) and even getting onto the beach was trickier due to the large amount of water coming down the stream.
 |
| Small stream to left and high tide meant no dry access to beach, around corner past tree on left |
We were not deterred. We scrambled again onto the rocks even if we were having to be careful because our feet were submerged and it was difficult to see where the deep cracks and rifts were. The waves were hitting and throwing up spray with some force so keeping our balance and not being knocked over or swept into the rocks was fairly important. We decided to give it an hour or so and see if the lower tide might help.
Meanwhile we walked through the surf onto the beach and ventured further into the sea. There was still a lot of force from the sea which quickly meant there was small stones, grit and sand on the inside of our costumes and wet shoes. The sky was blue, the temperature was hot around 28 or so and we went for a stroll down the beach.
In several places we could see fresh falls of plants,soil and rock from the low cliffs around the beach. At the far end was a small rock pool which was deliciously warm and we could watch the surf pounding the other side of the rocks and throwing up spray. As we walked back we collected bits of plastic we found. Its the first time we have spotted any debris on a beach but we had a handful by the time we reached the beach entrance. The only bins were back up at the car so we trudged up the hill and deposited the rubbish in the bins. Now we began to have company. A small group of people arrived on the beach dropped off by the bus, so at least if we got swept away there was a chance someone would see and call for help. However we had to reluctantly conclude that the sea was too churned up to snorkel and put the masks back in the car. We couldn't tear ourselves away just yet though and went back down to scramble amongst the newly uncovered rocks and lie in the warm rockpools that had been left by the retreating tide.
We left about midday making use of the outdoor showers and the changing rooms by the carpark first.
 |
| Crab in rockpool |
First stop was to be at the arts factory in Te Hana where Kerry a talented woodcarver made and exhibited his work. We were surprised to find it closed and it wasn't until later I discovered he had died aged 69 just a few weeks before.
We carried on to Wangerai where we stopped at the town basin. Our first experience of car park charges in New Zealand $2 an hour. This is a lovely pedestrianised area next to the marina with clusters of cafes and restaurants, an art gallery, clock museum and Burning Embers where glass blowing can sometimes be seen.
We toured Burning Embers where we both liked a piece called I love you, written in morse code. However it was incredibly heavy (and definitely on the expensive side) so despite it being Valentines day, it got left behind. We had a light lunch in one of the cafes watching the marina and then strolled around the art gallery before returning to the car.
 |
| 360 panorama here |
 |
| Model of new art gallery due to be built soon |
 |
| Marina |
Pahia was just 2 hours away. It should have been less but the highway was closed at Lemon hill due to a major mud slide on to the road narrowly missing a car. So we were directed on a 3 sides of a square detour coming in from the north side. Paihia is not that big, we found our penthouse apartment at the Austria motel easily. It was up 4 flights of stairs but the views across the bay were great. We think this is/was the managers apartment as it had much more of a lived in feel to it. We had two double bedrooms, one massive ensuite with bath and separate shower. A further big shower and toilet, lounge with three piece suite and rocker chair, dining table to seat 6, full kitchen, utility room with washing machine and dryer, private undercover back deck to string out washing on and full width private front deck with another table and 6 chairs. After the trouble booking anywhere in Paihia I felt we were really lucky to find this. It was just one street away from the sea and the Countdown supermarket was at the end of our street too. Once we'd unpacked we strolled down and walked along the front, found the 'explore' office and booked our dune rider tour for the next day and picked up some food for a meal at the small supermarket. There were lots of places to eat but we opted for home cooked couscous and salad, got some washing sorted and settled down to relax and watch the bay from our deck.
That was the plan until an email from our airbnb host in Singapore suddenly arrived asking us to change from our carefully chosen apartment to another unspecified one. This conversation was to continue in fits and starts over the next week with over 40 emails before we finally had to find and book somewhere else.
No comments:
Post a Comment