October 16, 2023 East of BOI (Day 19)
While the tire was being fixed we took a morning walk on part of the Waitangi track where we saw the Shag rookery from our first walk on the track on Oct. 4. Now the nests are filled with baby birds and the parents are busy ferrying back and forth from the estuary with crops full of food they regurgitate to the babies who stick their whole heads into the parents mouth! We think there are 2 species of ‘shags’ as cormorants are known here, the pied shag and one I can’t identify.
After the tire was fixed we started on our trip we planned for yesterday, taking the Opua car ferry across to Okiato and touring as much as we could on the peninsula on the east edge of Bay of Islands.
We stopped first at Waipiro Bay for the view!
No access to the beach here. This area is rural and agricultural, with vineyards and sheep+cattle stations.
We drove to the end of the road at Rawhiti, a small community with 2 Maori meeting houses (Marae). After this town is the long track to the Cape Brett lighthouse, 16.3km (10 miles) one way! Kaimarama Bay has a small beach looking out towards small islands and rocks where we stopped for our picnic lunch.
Looking left, from where we came.
Looking right towards other islands.
We backtracked to the first junction and headed south. We found a tiny bay with a protected beach, Te Akau Elliot Bay. We took our chairs and cameras and enjoyed the almost deserted beach.
Returning from our sojourn on the beach. I’m trying to get some color on those white legs!
Continuing south we headed down to North Head, of course to the end of the road!
The Whangaruru North Head campground was the end of the road.
Returning north we got fantastic views of the skinny peninsula.
Looking west across Whangaruru Harbour.
Looking north at Bland Bay, a small town (no services) that looks anything but bland! With Waiatapaua bay and the open ocean on the right, and Whangaruru harbour on the left.
We backtracked to Okiato and caught the car ferry back in the evening light. A great day of exploring!
October 27th, 2023 at 6:15 pm
So many islands and bays and beaches!