Magical Mahinepua Bay, Northland

Catch-up

Beautiful tiny Mahinepua Bay was our next stop, just a short 10kms north of Matauri Bay. Usually we would have driven quite a bit further to find our next camp but I have had this one marked in my 'must stay' folder for a very long time....and now some of you will also have it marked down as it's not actively advertised as available. 

Mahinepua is reached by taking a short gravel road off Wainui Road, the scenic coastal route off SH10 on the south side of the Whangaroa Harbour. At the centre of the bay is a public reserve with a sandy beach and clear shallow waters which are safe for swimming. 

Across the road from the reserve is a pretty flash holiday home which looks a little out-of-place in this sleepy backwater. The house is regularly rented out for weddings and other special occasions. At the north end of the bay there are several original baches including these two that have seen better days.

At the southern end of the beach on a narrow sandspit bordered by emerald green waters and with an urupa (Maori cemetery) at it's entrance, is another small reserve which is under the protection of the local kaitiaki (guardians). 

Camping is sometimes available here (CSC vehicles only- there is no water and just one long drop toilet available) but permission must be sought first from the caretaker (Wiki), a sign board at the entrance gate has the contact information and a koha (donation) is accepted as payment. 

For this you will be well rewarded with a fabulous site just a few steps from the sea on one side...

...and the calm waters of Waipareira Stream on the other.

At the end of the spit there's a picnic table & a couple of lovely deep swimming holes which were put to good use by locals at the end of the day and over the weekend. 

Other than a family in their tent, we had the camp to ourselves the first evening and then shared it with a couple of motorhomes over the next couple of nights. Wiki had warned us though that there were a large group of whanau coming in for the weekend (whanau- an extended family or community of related families). 

Fire in the sky! Of course a new camp wouldn't be complete without a sunset shot or two... 

Several boats came into anchor overnight in the calm waters of the bay.

After seeing vehicle lights and hearing excited people arriving long after dark, it was still a bit of a shock Saturday morning pulling up the kitchen blind to find the camp busy and cars parked behind us.

Friday calm... (click on the photos to enlarge) 

To Saturday chaos (happy chaos of course). Many of the families had driven up from Auckland Friday evening, a 300km trip.

One of the things we love about living on the road are the unexpected experiences that come our way, sometimes right out of left field. Then there are the lovely people we meet along the way too.  On this occasion we had a chance to combine both of them. One morning a guy in a ute pulled up alongside the van, we thought he was just having a look until David stuck his head outside. The conversation went something like this-

The Guy- "You look like good people, would you like to come for a coffee?"
David- "Ummm....that's nice of you, sure. When?"
The Guy- "I'll come and collect you tomorrow morning about 11am"
David- "Oh, Ok, see you then'
And off the guy drives.

Me when David steps back inside- "What? Who the heck is he and where the heck are we going for coffee? What do you mean you don't know!? Did you get his name? "
David- "Arrr.....no...."

So for the rest of the day (and some of the night) we puzzled over the encounter. Perhaps we should have something on tomorrow but we didn't have a contact number or name to call to say thanks, but no thanks. What if he had evil intent, if he whisked us away and we didn't return no one would know where we'd gone. Don't be silly we said, he has a kind face.

So the next morning right on the dot our man turned up in a ATV to collect us. We climbed in beside him and he roared off down the track, through the gate and back up the road a couple of hundred metres, us holding on for dear life as he cut the corner off by taking a stock track around a bend. And then we turned off the road, passed through another gate and wound our way around the edge of a swamp and then up a very steep driveway.

And that was how we found ourselves having morning tea with fellow RVers Bernard & Marion, overlooking this amazing seascape from the clifftops above East Bay.

Bernard & Marion once lived in their bus (quite awhile ago), they have been house sitting and maintaining this beautiful property for over 3 years. 

Bernard loves the job and the isolation (he gets his people fix by picking up strays at the local campground) but I get the feeling that Marion has a serious case of itchy feet and is keen to get back on the road, sooner rather than later.

As it turns out the couple's son & daughter-in-law have a fifth-wheeler and had been staying at Matauri Bay when we were there, David spoke to the son briefly on one occasion when he was hauling in his kayak. We never found out whether that was where the connection came from but Bernard did know I was a photographer so somebody had been talking. We had a lovely time and Bernard deposited us safely back to the van afterwards. No need to call in the search party.

I loved these Cape Cod chairs, they made the perfect subject (and now one of my favourite photos)

Another campground we had on our radar was a little further up the road so we went for a tiki-tour in the ute to check it out. Tauranga Bay Holiday Park is a very popular place with the motorhoming community, many winter over here each year and others, including David's sister & her husband holiday here year after year. 

 A section of the camp is long and narrow and many of the sites sit on the edge of the sand dunes overlooking the ocean beach. Surfcasting is a popular pastime.

Although I think this guy had other ideas on what to do with his time...

There's a large public reserve and wide estuary for swimming & kayaking on, at the opposite end of the camp.

The last time we passed Tauranga Bay was in our launch, we were heading to Whangaroa Harbour;  the entrance is just up the coast from the beach, between the two headlands centre right. In the end we both decided that we didn't need to come and stay now that we had visited, David wouldn't be able to launch the dinghy from the beach and it was too far to travel to get it down to the estuary. 

On our way home we stopped at a high point in the road. The 270 degree views were spectacular, here I have zoomed in on Mahinepua Bay, where you can see the aqua blue of the shallower and calmer water.

Further around to the south are the Cavalli Islands, and the finger of land that protects Matauri Bay.

I knew that we wouldn't tow the 5th-wheeler into Whangaroa on a tiki-tour when we left Mahinepua (very tight dead end road) so later in our stay I did a round trip to check in on the tiny settlement. Just for old times sake. Whangaroa was where we came for supplies when we were staying further down the harbour on the boat. Back then it was the height of summer and a very different place to the deserted village I explored on a dismal and overcast day.

This is one of reasons we wouldn't have made it to the end of the road; a very low hanging pohutukawa just past the hotel & marina.

On the way home I was also able to stop and shoot an old shack I'd seen near the road when we'd passed by earlier in the week. I wonder at the stories this little building could tell.

Back at Mahinepua I watched one of the local Oystercatcher pair have a good bath in the shallows near the van. They had a nest nearby and it looked like this one had just been relived of nest sitting duties...

...he (or she) sure was pleased to have a wash down, jumping, flapping and dancing about in the breakers.

And one final photo from just after sunset, the pink hue that appears over the sky in the opposite direction, it pays to look behind sometimes!

And if you'd like to know the contact number for Wiki, please send me a message; either here on the contact form or via a PM on Facebook and I'll send you the number..... and an invoice for $100 (just kidding!) Be aware though, that depending on when you intend to visit, Wiki may no longer be the caretaker.

Coming up next... Take a walk with me

Hot Water Heaven

Catch-up

It seems that many of those that had walked to Cathedral Cove were now on a mission to tick another 'must do' off their list. 

With low tide due in a little over an hour, the road to Hot Water Beach was very busy.  

The carparks were filling up... 

North end carpark

...and a steady stream of people, carrying a range of colourful shovels and wearing an assortment of swimsuits or in various stages of undress, were making their way along the sand... 

...arriving from both ends of Hot Water Beach, all heading towards a gathering of people near the centre. 

It's here that hot water bubbles up through the sand from two springs that are located about 2 kilometres underground. 

And if you dig yourself a hole the seawater & hot water mix and form a natural hot pool to soak in. This is only possible though for about 90 minutes either side of low tide.

Those that arrived early leave large holes behind them as they move down the beach following the tide as it recedes. Those without shovels or haven't the energy to dig can find a luke-warm sandy slurry in the pools left behind, enough to soak your feet in.

Here are a few more photos; I often don't see the various idiosyncrasies and interactions taking place while I'm shooting so I love checking the photos out afterwards. Click on them to enlarge.

Check out the boys in black tights (one with a hole in the butt!); they digging towards Spain and they only have their hands.

How about the guy in his Calvin Kleins. And the tiny baby being held by Poppa while the family have a soak.

One of the boys has found himself a spare shovel, and groups of foreign tourists are sharing a pool, chatting and making friends. 

The boys are still digging, their pool getting wider and wider- perhaps they can't read English either, the water must be hot as no one is soaking in that area. The lady in pink has found an empty pool and is holding it for friends getting changed.

The guy in the Calvin Kleins really should stop digging. And what about the guy with the guitar.

These are the owners of the feet in the first photo.

And a last couple of photos of the many people enjoying the Hot Water Beach experience.

Here's a few tips for when you visit Hot Water Beach; 

1) Beg, borrow or buy a shovel, as a last resort hire one for an exorbitant price. 

2) Change into your swimwear before you walk to the beach area. If you must wear your underwear, make sure it doesn't stretch when wet.

3) Leave all unnecessary gear, including guitars, in the car.

4) If it's a cold, grey, overcast day, take a towel & a warm jacket.

6) Be prepared to get sand where the sun don't shine. 

5) There is a cold water shower on the deck beside the restaurant; you must leave your swimwear on though (and no I don't have a photo of that one!)  

6) It's a longer walk from the first carpark (the one shown in the photo up above). If you park at the end of the road near the cafe/restaurant and houses you will have to cross a small stream, which is fine if you've removed your shoes (watch for sinking sand around the small rocks near and in the stream). 

The best park is the second one, this carpark may look deserted and you might want to drive to the end thinking you'll be closer to the beach but you won't, the 2nd carpark has a short walk through bush to the dunes and brings you out on the otherside of the stream. So no wet feet and closer to the action.

The beach was nowhere near as busy as the last time I visited it but then again that was in late summer. As I mentioned then, thankfully other 'hot water beaches' around New Zealand aren't as accessible or as well known as this one. Not yet anyway, *touch wood*.

Surprise!

Not long after taking the reflection photos in the previous post David got a text from Rachel asking what the weather was like after the sunny day yesterday. We sent back that there was cloud cover but it looked like it would burn off and more importantly that there was no wind! Back came a reply- "We're on our way, see you in an hour" And so after saying our big farewells yesterday and in less than an hour the family arrived on our doorstep (literally)  to set up camp! What a wonderful surprise it was & finally after all our weather woes we got the chance to camp together, albeit for one night only.

Ollie & Ruby were so excited,  Ollie especially as Poppa had skyped the night before & had shown him the tyre swing in the tree beside us. It was the first thing they both raced for.

Panoramic view of the reserve

After setting up camp and with the tide going out we decided to walk around to the point beside the mouth of the estuary. 


Hubcap Heaven- cribs at the end of the road

A woman had arrived just after the family in her horse float with two dogs & a horse on board and it turned out that Rachel knew her from work. Irene frequently came to this reserve to stay; she is friends with the neighbouring farm owners and rides over their farm & she told us that there were often sealions & seals on the rocks at the point. We didn't find any on this walk but we later saw a sealion pulling itself out of the water and up into the dunes on the far side of the estuary near the mouth. The tide was on its way in so we weren't able to check it out, plus it would have been another long walk back across the soft sandflats.

 

 

Looking back across the tidal sand flats towards the camp. The estuary reaches around the trees in the middle and would be another 3 rimes this size. The sand was fairly firm to walk on although there were a few soft patches.

Poppa leads the way around a rocky patch

The estuary mouth & Haldane Bay, Catlins

At the rocky point there was plenty of bull kelp growing on the rocks & swirling back & forward in the tidal surge.
  

 

Heading for home

But not before a slide in the sand

 
By mid-afternoon the sun made an appearance & after a bite to eat we took the kids down to the water for a swim. Well, a paddle & a play on the boogie boards. Dad got a good workout running back & forward skimming them across the water.

Back at the camp & getting ready for a BBQ dinner we were in for another lovely surprise. The family from the farm had been on an outing to Curio Bay for the afternoon & especially to get a fish 'n chip dinner from the well-known caravan that plies it trade there during the summer. They called in for a visit on their way home. And so once again, as well as saying goodbye to them yesterday, we said another hello!

 

 

And I have to report that after this post on free range eggs & this one on the state of the bread in Invercargill I had two indignant women on my hands. Firstly Darnelle was most put out that I was having trouble finding good free-range eggs and so no prizes for guessing what she arrived with, a carton of fresh free-range eggs straight from their chooks to our pan! And at a day or two old, the only way you could get fresher than these would be to hold the frypan underneath as the hens laid them! So thankyou very much Mrs Chicken (& friends) & the family too! I knew I took a photo of one of the hens at Christmas for a reason...... :)

And secondly, I forgot to mention the wonderful freshly baked bread that Rachel ha made for us many times while we were in Invercargill and as if to reiterate this fact she sent us away on Monday with a lovely warm loaf to enjoy when we got to camp. There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house and  it's intensified greatly in the small space of the fifth-wheeler so every time we opened the door on the way up the coast we got a promise of things to come.

After the BBQ there was a discussion on who was going to tidy up with David saying to count him out as he had cooked the sausages. This provided me with the opportunity of fishing out this little item that I have kept for many years on a scruffy sheet of paper in my keepsakes. I had actually lost it for quite awhile and only came by it again when I was packing up the house. Never a truer word said!

A Mans Barbecue-

Definition of Outdoor Barbecuing: It's the only type of cooking a "real" man will do: when a man volunteers to do the cooking, the following chain of events is put into motion.

1) The woman goes to the store.

2) The woman fixes the salad, vegetables & dessert.
3) The woman prepares the meal for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensiles, and takes it to the man, who is lounging beside the grill, drinking a beer.
4) The man places the meat on the grill.
5) The woman goes inside to set the table & check the vegetables.
6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning.
7) The man takes the meat off the grill & hands it to the woman.
8) The woman prepares the plates & brings them to the table.
9) After eating, the woman clears the table & does the dishes.
10) The guests congratulate the man for his excellent cooking & he takes a bow.
11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed "her night off". And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.