Northland
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| Walking up to St Pauls |
We left the Fantail Inn and the lovely town of Russell behind us and sailed over the Opua Ferry to the holiday resort of Pahia. We visited 12 years ago and it seemed little changed. We pushed on north, taking a detour through Kerikeri for a look see. It’s the go-to shopping destination if you live in Russell, lots of fruit growing in the area. An easy run to Coopers Beach and a new Motel the San Marino. It was a bit tired but the location on the fabulous beach was perfect. We settled on the second room we were shown and headed out on a walk, the first of many on this beautiful stretch of sand.
It was backed by broccoli trees that gave excellent shade. It was super in the water although not as warm as expected. We found the Beach Box on our first walk, it served excellent coffee and good cakes as well. TW discovered Ginger and Karakara tea, she’s hooked! Lots of options locally for outings. Whangeroa was excellent, nice coffee at the Fishing Club. We walked up to Saint Pauls Rock for a great panoramic view of the harbour. We mentioned to a local Lady about the the beautiful scenery. She agreed but commented, you cant eat scenery. Made us think. The most fun beach we visited was at Taupo Bay with lovely rollers. It’s supposed to suffer rip tides, but they had day off in honour of our visit.
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| The Beach Box -our favourite coffee stop |
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| The Manganui Fish Shop |
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| Fush and Chups - Manganui Fish Shop |
The fish shop at Manganui Wharf proved to be another favourite. I had green lip mussels, TW had lovely fish and chips. After 5 great days in Coopers Beach we dragged ourselves away and headed further north, up the Karikari Peninsula This was as far north as we planned to go.
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| St Pauls |
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| Coca Cola Lake near Rangiputa |
Ours hosts in Rangiputa were a Policeman and his Wife, both English. We were concerned that we were arriving at a crime scene when we saw the Police Car outside! We had a super room under the house and access to a washer and dryer was a big bonus. The local beach had white sand and the water was warm. Apparently its home to sharks, but again it was a rest day so thankfully no evidence for a Jaws remake. Maitii Beach was a short drive away, partially down a dirt road, but it was stunning. We found a shady spot and spent a pleasant hour or so on the beach. The Sun is very powerful here factor 50 SPF is a must. We tended to go to the beach at the end of the day, when the UV was not as intense. Our umbrella was a good investment! |
| Maitii Beach |
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