East Cape Escape

When Morgan said he only needed me Tuesday and Sunday this week, I knew it was my chance to get away from Rotorua for a few days and explore the East Cape. Only problem, the forecast predicted rain. Then I checked the weather on the Cape itself, and to my surprise: Sun Sun Sun! Let’s go

The East Cape is a remote region of the North Island home to only 43,000 people. Half  Maori, with 34,000 living in Gisborne and 4,000 more in Wairoa. Basially, there’s nobody out there. The Cape features some of the most pristine coast on the entire island, and when I arrived in Rotorua my hosts recommended I take a few days off work to go explore it. It’s not on the way to anywhere, so I wouldn’t have been able to see it if I hadn’t taken their advice.

Day 1: Rotorua to Te Araroa

I put in my lunch order a few minutes before my shift was over Tuesday afternoon. My goal was to make it to Hick’s Bay where I wanted to camp before the sunset at 8. With four hours of driving ahead, I was in a hurry to get out of Rotorua. After eating I cleared out of Zippy’s and headed for the pad to pack . I was out of the city center by 2:30. Luckily, Mike and Kath’s house is 20 minutes out of Rotorua in the same direction I was going, so I didn’t lose much time stopping to pack. I hit a gas station on the way for ice. Back home, I took everything out of my van that I wasn’t going to need, filled it with everything I had brought inside since arriving, and refilld my water jug.

By 3:30 I had set off from Mike and Kath’s and was steadily chugging towards Whakatane on the coast. The weather was awesome, I was in a good mood, and overall happy. On the way out of the Rotorua Lakes District I passed numerous picturesque lakes, making that segment of the drive immensly enjoyable.

I skirted just inland of Whakatane, and that’s when it started to get more remote. There was hardly anyone on the road (which would prove to be true for the next two days) and I passed through expansive range lands and over massive rivers with one-way bridges. Frankly, if you brought me there blindfolded I would probably think I was somewhere back home in the US. It felt beautifully familiar.

When I finally got to the coast, it’s like I entered a new realm entirely. The water was such a beautiful color, and the road went right along the coast for miles, only heading inland to bridges over massive rivers and creeks. I had the place to myself.

I didn’t fully realize how little there would be out there, and after getting to Cape Runaway I had to head inland for a decent stretch before Hick’s Bay. The light was disappearing and I only had a quarter tank of fuel, unsure of where I would find the next pump. The uncertainty was really stressing me out (I can’t explain how remote and deserted this part of the drive was). It gave me an opportunity to practice relaxing when faced with that type of stressful situation. Even if I ran out of gas, I wasn’t going to die. I would easily be able to get help from a passerby days before I ran out of food, so why worry more than necessary? I focused on the scenery instead.

Hick’s Bay had nothing. I asked some locals where the nearest petrol was and they told me there was a pump 10kms further down the coast. It was dark by now but I wanted the at least find the fuel before calling it a night. Sure enough, in Te Araroa there was a lone pump in the center of “town.” Luckily, there was a card reading machine, so although it was outrageously expensive, I filled up for peace of mind. I wasn’t sure where to camp, but I knew I wanted to drive out to the Lighthouse out on the Cape itself the next morning, so I started down the dirt road in hopes of finding a nice pullout along the ocean. About a km down the road I found a good spot perched on a cliff above the water and decided to settle down for the night. I cooked, ate, cleaned, and set up my bed. A few cars drove past during the night and I was pretty scared. In retrospect it was totally chill, but I had been told people in this region weren’t as happy to see freedom campers parading up and down their pristine coast. Also, having never seen the “town” or surroundings in daylight contributed to my uneasiness.

Day 2: Te Araroa to Anaura Bay

The next morning I woke up with the sun. I opened my sliding door from my sleeping bag and was face to face with the ocean. The air was fresh and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I wasn’t hungry yet and figured I could find another pretty spot for it. It was high tide, so I went down to the little spit of land beneath my parking spot to take in the morning. There was a fallen tree that made for the perfect perch to sit and watch the waves crash against the rocks.

After relaxing thoroughly I went back to the van, applied sunscreen, and set off down the dirt road towards the lighthouse. This ended up being the most beautiful drive of my life. The road lay on a thin strip of pasture land mottled with farm houses and sandwiched between the beach and mountains. Part way out I passed the East Cape Campground (if only I had known the night before). It was a series of grassy hills leading right down to the water. Adjacent to the grass lay a gentle feeding into the ocean. I chose this as my breakfast spot. I made a three egg omelette which came out fantastically well. Peak experience.

I continued out to the end of the road and climbed the 800 steps to the lighthouse. As I was taking in the view a guy came up the path, and upon greeting him I immediately recognized him as an American. I ended up talking to Kevin, a occupational therapist and surfer from San Diego, for about half an hour. He said he had done similar “van life” adventures himself, but regretted always having a partner with him when traveling. That was interesting to me because I feel like I would have a better time if I had someone else with me to experience a journey like the one I’m on. It was the first time I had considered the other perspective which opened my eyes to the advantage of my situation. I felt a lot less lonely after that encounter.

 

On my way back to Te Araroa I made two stops. The first at a random strip of beach not far from the lighthouse. The tide had receded quite a bit since breakfast and I wanted to have a look at any creatures that could be lurking in the tide pools. I didn’t find much, but it was pretty cool to walk way out on the shallow rocks leading away from the beach. Next, because I wasn’t in any hurry, I stopped back at the campground and read a chapter from my book. I figured I would never get as good a view again so I may as well make the most of it.

I bought ice and groceries in “town,” picked up an awesome map of the cape at the information center, and set off down the coast. There wasn’t much of interest for a while after that, besides the beautiful landscape of course. There were a few little “towns” that had 1 or 2 stores, and I stopped at all of them. I needed opportunities to stretch out from my cramped driving position, and I wanted to see what was there considering I’d likely never be back again.

In the late afternoon I drove out on a little road off the highway to check out a campsite in Anaura Bay where Captain Cook had landed in the 1700s. There were a bunch of camping options in the upcoming stretch of coastline according to my map, so I wanted to start checking out my options for the night. The bay ended up being secluded, quiet, and immensely beautiful. I still had a few hours of daylight, so I debated continuing on in hopes to find a better campsite. Luckily, I opted to stay and have a slow evening in the peaceful setting. I didn’t find out until the next day that I had made the right decision by choosing to stay. I’ve learned time and time again that the grass indeed IS NOT greener on the other side, and I’m finally starting to act accordingly. With my extra daylight I took a pensive stroll down the beach and prepared a more complicated special meal for dinner. I managed to park under an amazing tree right next to a picnic table and stream. It was the perfect campsite. With nothing to do after dark, I went to sleep.

Day 3: Anaura Bay to Wairoa

Yet again I was surrounded by beauty when I awoke. I had a slow morning eating breakfast and prepping to leave. Once I had the van fully-stowed, I kitted up to do a hike. There was a loop right next to the campsite through the native bush above the bay. The track was quite overgrown, and I didn’t expect to meet anyone else along the way. The walk started up a valley full of sheep which pinched off into a shady creek which I followed for some time. I was feeling quite nostalgic. The scenery and topography closely resembled that of coastal BC, one of my favorite places in the world. Exiting the creek valley, I ascended through a grassy pine forest and up onto the ridge. Surprisingly, I met a couple from Ohio going the opposite direction and spent a few minutes chatting with them. Somehow meeting people from the US makes me feel a lot less lonely out here on my own. I descended down the back side of the ridge through open grassland facing the bay. Nostalgia overcame me once again, only now I felt like I was home in California. I found some fennel along the way and saved it for one of my last couple lamb sausages. Back at the car, endorphins flowing, I set off from Anaura Bay for another day of driving.

Tolaga bay had a few shops which I spent a few minutes poking around without buying anything. Over the bridge on the way out of town I was stopped by a couple policemen in the road. All they wanted was to see my licence. As I got it out I told the cop it was from California to which he replied, “Good as gold.” I asked him where I could go for a swim, and he directed me to a good spot.

Just outside Tolaga Bay lies a long wharf. I went out to it from the highway and walked to the end and back.

I continued on to where the good swimming was supposed to be, only there was no freshwater to be found. The cop had sent me to Waihu Beech which was indeed beautiful. I wasn’t in the mood to swim, so instead I took advantage of the view and made lunch.

The next stop was Gisborne, the largest town on my trip. Turns out it was also the least interesting. It’s a port town with good surfing, but besides that it’s a shit hole. I did find a Pak N Save, the best grocery store to be found in NZ, and some public showers which I was happy to discover too. I filled up on my way out of town and found the best deal on avocados since arriving, 4 large hass for $3.50. At a gas station of all places.

The next leg of the drive was beautiful and the road was a lot better than it had been for the past hundreds of kms. There were some hot springs along the way, but I didn’t feel like paying the $14 entrance fee and passed them up.

A few miles later I exited the highway onto a 6km dirt road to check out some caves shown on my map. When I got to the site I found out the caves were a 40 minute walk from the road. With only a few hours of daylight left, I opted to pass them up too.

I kept driving all the way to Wairoa where I planned to spend the night. I just missed the closing of a cafe that appeared to be the most interesting thing in town. The barista cleaning up gave me a map of the next leg of my journey inland to Rotorua. I went down to the beach and found a spot to make dinner. There was a Maori family cooking on the beach and they came up to check me out after awhile. I shared my story and they told me where to park overnight and suggested I see a movie at the local theater which boasted the second largest screen in New Zealand. After cleaning up from dinner I drove back to the main street to the theater. I was 13 minutes late, but the movie had only just started. It was only $10 to get in and the owner treated me to some complimentary popcorn. It was super sweet. The showing was “A Star is Born.” I won’t describe the plot, but it was excellent. I realized Rotorua has a theater and it could be fun to treat myself to weekly movie nights while I still have no friends. :’)

After the movie I went over to the public toilets where other freedom campers were parked and crashed out.

Day 4: Wairoa to Rotorua

I woke up at the public parking, got dressed, stowed my sleeping stuff, and drove back to the cafe from the previous evening. I ordered a mocha and got on the wifi to catchup/do some research for my trip/start writing this entry. I spent quite a while there and refilled my water before finally departing.

From Wairoa, I drove inland. The road followed a gorgeous river up towards the mountains. The highway has a big portion of unpaved road over the Urewera range.

At Lake Waikaremoana I stopped to explore some caves, this time closer to the road. There was some serious weather moving over the mountains and it was insanely windy.

A little ways down the lake shore was another trek up to what is called “Lou’s Lookout.” I ascended the steep track to the top where I found a little wooden perch overlooking the lake. The view was amazing, and the wind was relentless. From this birds eye view of the lake I picked out a road leading down to a secluded inlet where another van was parked. I made my way down from the lookout and continued on to find the road leading down to the water.

It turned out to be a freedom camping site and would have made the perfect spot for an overnight if the timing wasn’t all wrong. I made the most of the shelter from the wind by cooking a lunch omelette (new favorite if you can’t tell). Once I had cleaned up I caught a bit of a wild hair. I hadn’t yet been swimming on my trip to the East Cape and knew I would regret it if I didn’t seize the opportunity. I walked up the inlet a little ways from the other van, stripped down, and flung myself off the rocks into the frigid water. It was so cold I immediately pulled myself back onto the rock I had come from. Realizing I was all covered in dirt, I jumped in again and swam around to where I could climb out without getting as dirty. Right when I climbed out, the sun poked out for the first time all day, and I spent the next 15 minutes airing out in my birthday suit laughing out loud to myself.

On my way out of the lake I stopped to walk down to the waterfalls formed by the lake’s outflow river. Spectacular.

Then I drove all the way to Rotorua. It took hours and I was tired, but there wasn’t anything of interest along the way. The gravel road was slow going and seemed to never end. My legs were happy to be back on highway, as they were tired of switching between the accelerator and brake in my barely-large enough Japanese van where the steering column is practically in my crotch. I made it home by 6:30 on Friday. The whole trip lasted from 3:30 Tuesday to 6:30 Friday.

Although the trip is over, I may as well write about today while it’s fresh in my memory. The weather was good, so I had planned to ride until Mike reminded me my bike was at the shop, which is closed. Doh. Instead I hiked to the top of Rainbow Mountain which is next to the Kerosene Creek hot springs I recently visited. I was feeling a bit down at the beginning, but by the end was back to feeling good. The power of endorphins. At the top I met a couple of riders who were super friendly and gave me their contact info. I stopped at Pak N Save for groceries on the way home.

The cat died while I was gone. I offered to leave for a few days, but Mike and Kath didn’t see it as necessary. I chose to do my writing now to give them some space.

Conclusion: I’m feeling much better about my life here in Rotorua after getting a chance to see a bit of the surrounding country. It was my first stop out of Auckland, so I’ve been living with a convoluted interpretation of what New Zealand is really like. Isolation and towns with absolutely nothing going for them have made me able to appreciate what this place has to offer. Also, this experience helps stoke me out to go to the South Island and make more ventures from home base while I’m still here.

Oh yeah! And it’s been exactly a month since I arrived. My first night at Verandah’s was Wednesday, October 10th 2018, and here we are living and working in Rotorua on Saturday, November 10th 2018. It’s crazy how time flies.

This was a lot of writing, so the detail and sentence structure variation have petered out as expected. Hopefully you can still get a sense for how my trip to the East Cape went. The pictures will help your imaginations where my words can’t.

Sincerely,

Anders