East Cape, New Zealand

When we arrived in Auckland on Tuesday night the weather was horrendous and freezing! The weather news on TV wasn't much chop either with the forecast being ongoing cold weather.
However the next day we woke to not a cloud in the sky and although cold, was a beautiful day.
Our planning for what we are going to do has been sporadic to say the least - our only real plan was to head over to Massey somewhere the other side of Auckland and collect the magnum of Moet that Kemm won over the Anzac wkd when in NZ in April. PIcked that up then decided that rather than head north (as we thought we might at that point) we would just head south out of Auckland and over to Tauranga.
So that was our first plan out the window and off we headed to Tauranga. Claire and Tony were due in from Fiji about 3.30pm and I had been given prior info as to where the key was and how to get into their place BUT only had their post box address!! Had been there once before but goodness knows where it was or the actual address!
So, onto Facebook to get hold of Christine - she's ALWAYS on FB, to get her mum's address. That worked of course so set the GPS and we were right after that.
Arrived at Claire and Tony's about 3.00pm after doing a grocery shop - I was down to cook dinner as they were not turning up till about 6pm.
Thought we might have had an afternoon Nanna nap - but no such luck - 2 of the most gorgeous little dogs were there to happily greet us, slurp all over and generally bound and bounce everywhere!
All good from then on in - Josh, Tony's son turned up after his day at work (he'd been looking after Claire and Tony's place), but hadn't been told we were coming so not really sure who had lobbed into their place. He looked just like Scott does after a day at work - plasterers all have the same disgusting looking clothing for some reason!

Next morning Claire and Tony were off to work so we decided rather than sit around all day reading, on the PC etc, we would head off and venture around the east cape on the way down to Gisborne and Napier.
Oh look- there's the sign to Rotorua and it's not far - let's go there instead!! PLAN 2 gone!

So off down to Rotorua, lunch at the Lakeside cafe - once again and absolutely beautiful day! After that we headed on down to Waiotapu Thermal area and awander around there for an hour or so. I remember having been there many years ago and was sure it was better than the more touristy one in the middle of Rotorua. I was right - it was so much better and half the price! Hardly anyone there as well so a nice quiet stroll. The Lady Knox Geyser was part of the ticket price but only goes off at 10.15am each day so decided we would head back to Rotorua for the night and visit that on the way down to Taupo the next day.

So back to Rotorua, check in to a motel and off again to take a gondola ride up the skyline 'thingy' to the top of the hill. As said, a beautiful day - the weather has been delightful! No wind, hardly a cloud around and although cool, easy to keep warm.

So next morning, off to Taupo - NOT - visit the Geyser then decide to head back up to Lake Tarawera in search of the Pink and Red Terrace eruption region from 1886 - damn it's way back down towards Taupo!!! Should've looked at the OTHER map!!

Oh well, let's head on up and around the cape then!! PLAN 3 gone!!

But from then on till tonight, all has gone to plan (well, we really don't have one!). We have had a fairly long day driving today around rugged coastline of the northeast cape north of Hawkes Bay. The weather is magnificent and it's just as well I've been driving as it's been very windy road!
Currently at a tiny little place "Hicks Bay' - captive audience - 1 motel, their restaurant, no phone or internet reception, so totally isolated.  Only 2 at 'their' restaurant for dinner - kemm has had steak chips and salad and I've had chicken schnitzel and 3 veg. Menu does say that most food will have been frozen, who knows who's going to stop here and when! it's taken us about 4 hours from Whakatane the closest 'civilisation', and probably the same down the other side but we should end up in Napier tomorrow night - might even get a couple of vineyards in before settling in. Next day we will visit wineries and do what we do best - wine-tasting, dining and bragging to the Mulvihill's and Rush's!!! It's nice to have good friends! Will send you the photos! :)

This email though will not go out now until we are on the road tomorrow and back in 'range'.
From Gisborne and then down to Napier, we should be heading back to Auckland via Taupo and back home Tuesday night.

ONWARDS AND FORWARDS

Arrived in Napier about 2.30pm and headed straight to Mission Hill Winery to do a little tasting. Neither of us quite realised how tired we were after a 5 hr drive and tasting just wasn't on our agenda. Decided then to find somewhere to stay and set about planning an agenda for tomorrow.

So the plan for the next day ...... found Kay Foy on Facebook and had a quick chat and found ourselves heading there first up in the morning for a cuppa - nice to catch up, had met Kay and Ken at Neryda's 50th in March 2011 so it was pikelets and coffee and we were off again! Up Te Mata Peak for winderful views over Hastings, Havelock and up to Napier and straight down the hill to one of the vineyards! Ah that's where we need to be!

Compulsory photos taken and down the hill to first stop at Craggy Hill Vineyward - $7.50 for tasting - no thanks, jsut a look around and on to Clearview Estate. A delightful little cellar door and very homely looking place for lunch with lots of empty tables so did the compulsory tasting (free!) and decided on a pinot noir for lunch - oh sorry - last table just taken!! Can't fit you in for lunch! Their loss - on we went to Elephant Hill winery for tasting and lunch.

For those who have 'done' the vineyards in Naper region, this one is new and is beautiful!! Lunch was magnificent with food brilliant and service excellent. Coudln't fault it. I had done my 'searching' on the net prior to heading to Napier and wanted to have lunch there anyway so was delighted that we actually did. Weather was still fine but after lunch we decided to head further afield to sirelli vineyard but as we headed out of town the wether got worse and was certainly not wine tasting weather so we did some diverting and headed back 'home'. Wineries not visited - plan shot!

Ho hum - miserable night out so ordered pizza in and bought a bottle of wine and we were right.

Monday morning and we're heading over to Taupo with plans to 'go with the flow'. Beautiful morning in Napier with 18 degrees - head over to Taupo - cod, miserable and 11 degrees! Had lunch at a nice cafe along the way then headed out to a new touristy spot "Wairakei Pools' - a 'copy' of the pink and white terraces but tiny although one great area had an active geo-thermal hot spring which was playing merrily.

From there I really had wanted to find the boat ride I knew about over the lcoation of the Pink and White Terraces which were destroyed in 1886. Found our way to Waimungu Valley - a newish tourist area and was the exact spot we needed to be! Either a 1 1/2 hour walk or a short bus ride down to Lake Rotomohana (we took the latter) and a 45 minute guided cruise around the lake was REALLY enjoyable and informative. It was what I had been wanting to do the whole week so was really pleased that in the last day of our holiday, we had finally got there. So it was into Rotorua for the night (rather than the planned Taupo - ah, such plans!) and tomorrow will be the final drive up to Auckland and fly back to Brisbane tomorrow evening.