Whitianga
Trip Start
May 07, 2008
1
62
90
Trip End
Jan 06, 2009
Whitianga,
North Island,
New Zealand
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Well, we left Gisborne in the morning and got back on the road once more for our journey to Whitianga.
Whitianga is a lovely place. Small but beautiful. We went to a Lonely Planet accommodation recommendation. It was a blue Motel called Albert No.6. The name alone should have been a big drum roll omen! After we rang the reception bell, this little old lady appeared. She must have been about 90-odd and only about 3 foot tall. Her grey hair was in bunches and she wore a red skirt with a blue and white checked shirt. Her long white socks were slipping off of her toes so they were dangling about the floor as she walked. It was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz as a pensioner!!!
As the door opened, so out wafted the stench, nothing else can describe it, of everything cat: their food, their poo and even their sweat. (David: And open festering tins of salmon. What is it with ancient cat ladies and tins of salmon?) The reception office was mayhem - files and books piled everywhere, a desk smothered in papers, rugs strewn haphazardly, photos taped all over the walls, chinzy curtains, it was crazy place!
The room she showed us was as big as a cat basket and had about as much warmth and enticement as a cat basket so we thanked her and said we'd think about it
Everyone on Hot Water Beach
. At this point she immediately dropped the price to $20 less! We said we'd still think about it, even more! She was still in her socks!The next place we went to was right up on the hill which over looked the whole of Whitianga and the ocean. The vista was absolutely breath taking, stunning. It was a very modern build and the guy was German?? He was the double of my father - had my father's favourite green t-shirt on, baggy tracksuit bottoms on and piercing blue eyes like him too. He was tall and very skinny so he looked like my father when he was very ill and losing weight during his chemo. So this B & B was an immediate non-starter for me. I just can't deal with the memories. Anyway the B & B was wonderful - very modern and open plan. The place had been specifically designed with the disabled person in mind. The bathroom was extremely disabled-friendly with handrails, low sinks, non-slip floor, emergency buttons - it was like a disabled bathroom in a hospital. The bedroom was even more genius. The curtains opened by remote control, as did the tv, bed positions, light switches, radio, air conditioning, everything and again an emergency button if need be. (David: You could even control it all with a blink, bite or the odd nod of the head... a drunks paradise!) Hans the owner, told us he'd had a paraplegic to stay so the room was ideal for him. It was a lovely place but it was too clinical for me.
The third and final place was the best place
David paddling on Hot Water Beach
. Always the way! Again, it was high up on the hills and facing the ocean. Stunning vista again. We rung the bell and a skinnier, suaver Boris Johnson answered in his bare tanned feet and pearly white teeth. Having asked about vacancies, he appeared to be quite stunned as if we had turned up asking him if he'd care to morris-dance naked with us in the town centre! Paul invited us in where his wife, Johanna, was curled up on the sofa with a glass of white wine. Johanna rushed up to us and was also quite flustered and the pair of them didn't really commit to a yes or a no in their flurry of sighs and exchanged looks but finally Johanna explained that she was actually going to be away for the week end as her mother had recently died so she had to go and sort out legal obligations and the problem is....only Paul would be around so.........she wasn't.....sure.......would we.......erm.......be ok??.....if he.......looked after....us?? we laughed out loud! Of course it would be!!! We are very self-sufficient we said. And David joked and said to Paul, "well! do you have any references? I mean, have you done this sort of thing before?" which immediately broke the ice as they then burst out laughing too. Well done David!!Paul and Johanna were lovely. They were both probably in their early 50's and teachers, albeit part time for several reasons. Johanna was Austrian and very tall and elegant and Paul was from New Zealand and very fun and energetic. Their house was again very modern and open plan but warm and inviting with books everywhere and squishy sofas and from their dining room a vista of the rolling countryside that swept down to the ocean: it melted your eyes, it was that stunning
Swallow and Babies
. They also had a collie dog who was absolutely beautiful and just bounded everywhere and immediately adopted us as her surrogate parents, whining for our attention and tickles. Gorgeously gorgeous. The next day, Johanna rummaged up a meticulous continental breakfast for us before she left for the day and a quick breakfast turned into a 2-hour one as Johanna sat with us and we all discussed life, education, where she is from/what her and Paul do etc. Then Paul said that as he would be alone that night, as Johanna will be away so would we like to cook dinner with him? We immediately said that would be lovely and inwardly thought "ah bless him, all on his own and no wife to cook for him".
The next day, David and I went to Hot Water Beach. This was bizarre indeed. The weather was cold, windy and grey as we drove just out of town. The beach is one long sandy stretch but underneath the sand a hot water spring bubbles away (David: 60 degrees odd). At the entrance to the beach there is a shop selling drinks, food etc and you can hire a shovel. You then go down to the beach and dig yourself a little pool in the sand that then brings up gloriously hot water that you can sit / lie in! But you can only do this 2 hours either side of low tide. We didn't bring any towels or beach wear with us. We didn't expect the beach to be so crowded on this cold, wintery day but I suppose it's an ideal time to immerse yourself into a pool of hot water! I went a bit OCD and didn't want to have to take my trainers off and get sand all over my feet and then have to sit in the car with wet sandy feet while we drove around sightseeing but David dove straight into the sand without shoes and his persuasiveness at how lovely the water was dragged me into the sulphur pool (that someone else had dug out previously - thanks whoever you are!!)
Next, we went to Cathedral Cove
A beautiful bird
. So called after the cave that's down there. The cove is actually situated within a marine reserve area to protect the lives of the many beautiful birds that live there. At the start of our walk, we noticed, up in the rafters of the welcoming/information hut, a small nest which was housing 4 teeny baby swallows. Soon, their mother fluttered up and fed them worms - it was fantastic to witness and soon a small crowd gathered as we all waited for mum to return and watched the babies crying their eyes out!!David and I followed the forested gravelled track down and round and up and over and round again down to the cove. It was a fantastic walk, if freezing cold and grey. The beach was sandy and long with beautiful rock formations. The beach and this cave were actually used in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Very peaceful, scenic spot indeed.
Dinner with Paul was great. He had bought in some mussels and we had contributed wine and cheese etc. I didn't actually realise until later that David hates mussels, but I adore them! So when there were only a couple left and Paul was insisting we finish them off and I was insisting David have the last ones, poor David was gagging inwardly!!! What a terrible wife I am! He put up a very good performance though - probably why he makes such a good actor on stage. We all drank wine, ate fish and chatted away into the night. Paul is very much an entrepreneur as well as a part time teacher. He likes to have his fingers in all sorts of pies so he was very interested to learn of our travels in China and how modern the country is. I think we may have instigated a new business plan he has been thinking about for some time!
The next day we had to leave and get back on the road. Our next destination was Auckland, to visit our friend, Sneeze. We were very excited about this indeed!
Love, us xx
