So what did Captain Cook think when he sailed into New Zealand for the first time at Poverty Bay…

There is beach after beautiful beach as we come into Gisborne so we decide to camp at Tatapouri, a cool little camp tucked right into a headland overlooking the bay. We head into Gisborne early to attend to Paul’s new rear tyre and have a wander round the centre before heading off to Wairoa through vineyards and crops onto the western Tiniroto route which climbs up to sheep and cattle country.

Picturesque farmland in the Tiniroto Valley

The road is definitely memorable for motorcyclists as it twists and turns through this rugged countryside, snaking alongside a river with huge stands of poplar and birch trees. Two rivers merge at Te Reinga and become the Wairoa River after a massive falls. We fuel up and head bush to Lake Waikaremoana, an inland region which has the largest area of native forest in the North Island and is somewhere neither of us have been. The Tuhoe people have lived in the Te Urewera region for centuries and have deep spiritual links with the land. Isolation and the Tuhoe’s respect for their forests, mountains, rivers and lakes have kept foresters and farmers away so it’s a living treasure where nature is totally in charge and it’s home to nearly every species of North Island native forest bird.

Beautiful Lake Waikaremoana is a popular place for kayakers, swimmers, hikers, fly-fishermen and campers

Many tracks surround the lake and we take the well-graded one which rises 300 metres in altitude to the day shelter at Lake Waikareiti. The forest is predominantly red and silver beech with mighty rimu trees emerging above the canopy. We keep stopping to take it all in as it’s totally captivating and like a giant garden that someone has planted with moss along the paths and new fern growth everywhere.

There is absolute silence beneath the trees and we are in awe of the beauty all around us with the ancient trees growing their own eco-systems. As we approach the top, we can see glimpses of sky and can hear birds and a roar of the fresh wind through the tree-tops.

Lake Waitereiti has it’s own silent beauty where you can sit on the edge and enjoy it’s magnificence

Lake Waikareiti is New Zealands most pristine lake with six islands in the middle of it that have yet to be invaded by introduced species. In calm conditions you can row out to them on the crystal-clear water and see everything on the lake floor. What a magic part of the world!

Captivating ancient forests at Lake Waikereiti

We head out of the camp with an intermittent light drizzle to dampen the dust on the gravel road and provide this moody dark atmosphere which is quite neat. Occasionally the sun bursts through and casts shadows and light across the lake as we follow it’s shoreline through the thick ancient forests. The water taxi is far below us shuttling hikers to various points around the lake where there are huts and more walks.

The road continues on and on (just over 100 kilometres of gravel in all) and becomes quite wet in parts with numerous landslides to manoeuvre around and a lot of wet horse shit!

A truck has cleared the way through an overnight land-slide

Perfect spot for coffee (we carry a thermos of hot water every day and love finding the right place for a break)

Finally, we come out of the forest, so quick it is quite startling as we are suddenly opened onto uniformed farmland. We stop in Murupara at the Station Cafe and Trattoria, a quirky establishment you can’t miss at the turn-off, filled with nostalgic memorabilia, great food and music and the Bacon, Cheese and Mushroom pies are from another world!

Station Cafe in the old NZ Road Services building at Murupara

We hit the coast at Ohiwa, and a camp at the headland we’ve been told about. Our tent site is terraced, has a view of the ocean and weka birds wander round our feet. Above the camp are several Maori pa sites which have commanding views of the estuary, harbour mouth and beaches.

View from the top of the Onekawa Pa

Perfect day and venue for a wedding

We liked the Opotiki region and the Opotiki Museum has a wonderful collection of nostalgia from yesteryear over three floors. We especially enjoy the old photos from the places we have just been and a hunting display from a local Maori hunter.

Piki Amoamo, a hunter from Opotiki, donated his fascinating hunting display from around the world

The renowned biker road from Gisborne south to Wairoa climbs and twists through the Waioeka Gorge following the river and we turn off at Nuhaka to head out on the Mahia Peninsula, a stunning piece of land that juts out between Poverty Bay and Hawkes Bay where the coastline is very picturesque.

Approaching the Mahia Peninsula

More stunning bike roads

We see local Maori’s gathering seafood which the area is famous for and one Maori woman and her son are spending time with a loved one at a beautiful cemetery overlooking the water.

Bay after bay and spots everywhere for diving, fishing and swimming

North side of the Mahia Peninsula

Mahia is a magnet for fishermen, divers (there are over 20 shipwrecks in the area) and is one of New Zealand’s most reliable surfing destinations. It is also home to the Rocket Lab Launch Complex, the first orbital launch site and we are in the area for their first successful launch. Fresh fish and chips are a must here and we take time to walk up Mokotahi Hill at the end of Mahia Beach.

Mokotahi Hill rises 113 metres above the beach

Stunning views from the Mokotahi Hill, Mahia Beach

So we climb to the top, gaze at the view all around and muggins-me leaves her hat on the grass! Off I go again (my sun-peak and I have been together for nearly 15 years) and all the way down for the second time I keep thinking about the ice-cream I’m going to have!

One well-earned ice-cream!

Hawke’s Bay is a region of diverse and magnificent landscapes, from mountains and hill country to inland coastal plains. The ride south to Napier is fabulous, including the awesome 11 kilometre side-road to Waipatiki Beach Farm Camp which overlooks this gorgeous beach. The swimming is our warmest to date and it’s a lovely, friendly little camp.

A view of the water at Waipatiki Beach Farm Camp

Waipatiki Beach north of Napier

Our day off turns into a big loop ride up to Lake Taupo, down the Desert Road for lunch at Turangi, then over the infamous “Gentle Annie” road back to Napier.

Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Ngauruhoe from the Desert Road

Sheep dominate the high-country like on Erewhon Station (Nowhere spelt backwards!) on the Gentle Annie road

Story of the Week

Murray Houston was only six in February, 1931, and it was the first day of the new school year. He remembers the walls shaking violently, textbooks flying and desks crashing to the floor. The first thing that came into his mind was to run so he recalls all the students running from the school like bees out of a hive and kids hanging onto fences to stop falling over as the ground wouldn’t stop shaking! The Hawke’s Bay earthquake only lasted several minutes but it became the deadliest natural disaster for New Zealand claiming 250 lives. Nearly every building was destroyed so families lived in canvas tents supplied by the government on what was left of their properties or in “tent towns” in the local parks.

Typical “tent-town” in Napier during 1931

Napier architects had a clean slate and were greatly influenced by the techniques and styles of the time (Art Deco was also relatively inexpensive) which resulted in the highest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the world, all next door to each other.

My favourite, the National Tobacco Building in Ahuriri, Napier, decorated with roses and citrus fruits

Tell-tale colours and shapes of Art Deco styling

Masonic Hotel down on the waterfront, Napier

We think of New Zealand as Lord of the Rings scenery, Maori culture, wines, remote lodges, those pesky All Blacks…but not Art Deco. This zestful decorative style, with it’s sunbursts , ziggurats and streamlined confidence, seems more suited to Paris, New York or Miami – so how could it possibly fit in with the mellow islands of quiet roads, trout-rich rivers, beachside bachs and sheep?

The cutting-edge architectural Art Deco style

Colourful geometric motifs

Cows refused to enter the milking sheds three days prior to the quake and afterwards many families were separated and went to live elsewhere in fear of the aftershocks. Some people were even known to bolt all their furniture to the walls! Today the city has a trust to preserve and promote their heritage, they hold an annual festival which draws massive crowds and they have learnt to get on with it.

Napier and it’s people seem to imbrace their image with a wonderful flair

Napier got an extra soul because so much was put into it’s recovery and it’s now a wonderful destination with the unique pairing of fabulous Art Deco buildings and terrific food and wine.

Street art is everywhere and this one is all about overfishing the sea

Favourites of the Week

A farmer’s fence lined with gumboots near Whakatane

Always so much driftwood (near Opotiki)

Awesome street art in Taneatua

Gorgeous bach at Mahia Beach

Special People

We’re having a wonderful time catching up with family and friends all over the country and Auntie Nola was on my radar near Whakatane. She has been on her own since my Uncle Dick passed away 11 years ago but wishes to stay on the family farm at Te Teko as she’s a real home-body.

My 88-year-old Aunt Nola

Although losing her sight she is “not going into a giggle-box” and it’s no surprise as she is sharp as a tack! She still wanders round the garden and has a go chopping at the plants, she cooks for herself but gets upset when her housekeeper moves things from their usual place and she has a mobility cart which can get her up to the shop and across the paddocks to her daughter’s house. She made us a cup of tea, answered all my questions and regaled us with loads of wonderful stories – but the most poignant was when she was talking about how she gets on with her blindness. One day she thought she must have spilt something on the carpet so she spent ages trying to scrub at this dark patch and then it dawned on her that it was actually a shadow caused by the sunlight! She just laughed – her attitude to life was so inspirational and a lesson to us all.

See if you can work out our route!