We decided that the best way for only 2 of us to get to Roberton Island was to use the Explore Island Hopper service, the first boat to leave was at 0830, so we got up and headed to the Explore shop to get tickets. We cut it pretty fine, as the ticket booking seemed to take a long time.
We got to Otehei Bay, and checked the times for the small ferry to Roberton Island, we had an hour to kill so we headed off to do a short walk, the Otehei bay loop.
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| just beautiful |
The boat to Roberton Island called at Motokiekie island first, and then Roberton. The guy driving made a note of when you wanted to be picked up so that no one got left behind on an island over night. On the boat with us were a couple from Bristol and a single young lady. While we were swapping place to go and where we'd been stories with the couple, the girl asked if we'd said we were from Farnborough, because that's where she was from. I cheekily asked where she went to school; it turns out she was an ex All Hallows pupil, Claire Baggins, although from before the time Karen was teaching there and probably before Abigael went.
We wanted to spend the day on Roberton Island, checkout a snorkel trail and swim in the lagoons, so we asked for a 15:00 pickup and we skipped the drop off at Motokiekie where the couple from Bristol got off to do a 2 hour walk.
When we got to Roberton, the guide book had said don't miss climbing to the peak of the hill on the island to get the view, so we left Claire on the beach and started climbing.
While we lingered for photos, we noticed a tall ship, sails out but not sailing, heading for the beach. Anticipating an influx of people we headed down to the beaches and the lagoons.
After lunch we had a crack at the main bay. The water wasn't as clear and the temperature of the water was a bit colder.
Karen snorkelled down the left of the bay. Then we walked up to the bit where we were dropped off.
Most off the day boats had been dropping off people and picking them up after an hour, but by this time we were pretty much alone.
We took a look at the first lagoon and now the water was lower we could get into part of it. It was teaming with fish.
We snorkelled around looking at fish.
Eventually we got out and had a snorkel at this end of the top of the bay but we had to be careful of the swell from the sea and the sharp rocks asit kept wanting to dash us against them.
We saw our boat come back, dropping off the couple from Bristol, it was a bit early, and we were still wanting to find the snorkel trail, that's when Karen spotted the sign showing the trail. We think though that the sea had broken through the rocks into the lagoon at some point in the past making it too rough to snorkel where the trail should be, at least on that day anyway.
We headed back to the beach, we thought our boat was leaving without us, but after a bit of waving he reversed onto the beach, picked us up and we took off back to Otehei bay.
We had a drink at the bar, looked at the map and decided we could get there and back and still eat before the ferry to go back.
It was a bit of a slog getting there as the only way was a steep climb to the top of the mountain between the bay we were dropped off in and the one we wanted to go to, followed by an equally steep descent. Where's a convenient tunnel cut through when you want one!.
We went for a snorkel but the water clarity wasn't great in the middle, better at the edges.
The hike back was even harder. We earned the meal and beer the hard way!
The ferry took us back to Paihia and we walked back to the motel, ready to put our feet up. Unfortunately we had to pack properly this time as we were near the end of our time in New Zealand. And that meant getting everything out of the car where we had grown used to just being able to sling it and back into suitcases ready for a flight..
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