Eastcape Roadtrip

So we set off around the Eastcape... four of us in three cars - my 'sustainability' friends will crucify me!! ;) But we all needed our cars to head off in different directions at the end, so it's the way it had to be. I took Matt in my car, and we set off in convoy.

Our first night was something of an adventure. It was an amazing experience. We were driving along trying to find somewhere to camp for the night, but all of the 'proper' free campsites were so crowded, we decided to take a side track and look for somewhere else to camp. We drove up a gravel track for a few km, and decided to park up and take a walk up a hill to see how it looked at the top. Matt, Chris and I walked up and decided it would be a perfect spot, but then we heard a car drive up, and heard some male voices talking to Kat. I thought they were going to have a go at us for being on their land, so I was already formulating stories as to why we were there. But when we went down to join them, Kat had just told them the truth - that we were trying to find somewhere to stay for the night....

The farmer said that he had a shearing shed (for sheep shearers when they work) down the road near his house with a kitchen, shower and plenty of beds if we wanted to stay there? I couldn't believe my ears! Amazing! So we took him up on his kind offer, and followed him down the road. The place was amazing. He even left out lots of bottles of champagne and beer - obviously it wasn't meant for us, and we didn't touch it, but it's just more evidence of how trusting Kiwis are, and the faith that they place in strangers. I love it. Kiwi hospitality at it's finest! Or so I thought, until his next surprise...

Bedroom 1

The kitchen and other bedroom

...he invited us up to their house for dinner!! So we went up, and sat out with his whole family in the garden, drinking rose champagne and eating a wonderful cheeseboard with grapes and some of the most amazing dips I've ever tasted! His eldest daughter had also been at Rhythm and Vines, and had come back with some friends, so we all had a good ol' natter. Then when we were told that dinner was ready, we were greeted with a huge spread of freshly caught meat, roasted veg (yum!), salad, bread and lots of other yummy stuff. It was incredible. And then Chris and I sat out and watched the stars - it was the clearest night with the brightest stars that I'd seen yet. Incredible. What a fantastic evening!

Sitting out in the garden, and a nearly finished cheeseboard!

Our feast!

Kat and me :)

The next morning, we woke up bright and early as we'd been invite to go and help Graham milk one of his cows - amazing!! It turns out that I was a bit of a natural - maybe I've finally found my forte!!

Milking the moo moo

I love farmlife!! :)

It was incredibly hot out, so we decided that we wanted to go for a quick dip before breakfast / lunch. There was a watering hole down the road and it was lush!
 

Then it was time to eat! We devoured a gormet breakfast of leftover dinner from the night before along with lots of other goodies...

With Graham, our hospitible Kiwi!

Our farm family :)

When we went on our merry way, we continued along the eastcape. We went into a Maori church, which was lovely inside!

Interior oft he church and Maori carvings

 

We headed towards the most eastern point of New Zealand, and found a free campsite next to the ocean. Splendid! It was very windy, and rain was forecast so we made a shelter out of tarpaulin, rope and the essential gaffa tape.

Our camp

I love gaffa tape

At 4.00am the next morning, we set off in Jerry to go to the Eastcape lighthouse to catch the sunrise. We walked up about 800 steps (not my favourite thing to do at that time in the morning!) and finally arrived at the top, to await the sunrise. Unfortunately it wasn't a particularly specacular one, but I'm still glad we did it :)

:)

Walking back down...

When it was time to leave the campsite, Chris's battery was dead... so it was Jerry to the rescue! :)

Super Jerry!

Later that day, we happened upon a beatiful bay, called Lottins Point. Chris had found a fishing rod, so he taught me how to fish and I caught my first ever fish! It was a rockfish, so nothing too amazing and we even threw it back in - but we did acually try one later that we caught and it was ok...

Later that evening, we cooked our catch on an open fire, along with some paua that our new friends (and fellow free-campers at Lottins Point), Cody and Giselle had caught and given to us. Yummy. We all had a few drinks around the campfire, and it was a great evening - the type of evening that truly epitomises what being on the road and travelling is all about.

Fishing and beer... the perfect combo

Chris preparing one of the fish

Our campfire

Relaxing around the campfire

Phutakawa tree (the Kiwi Christmas tree) in bloom :)

The next day (and lots and lots of mosquito bites later), we left Lottins Point for our last full day of the roadtrip. Along the way, we stopped at a church which has penguins nesting in its basement. We didn't see the penguins, but the setting was so idyllic that I decided that if I were ever to get married in a church, this would be the church. Absolutely amazing location, right next to the water. Beautiful and simple.

 

Interior of the church

Kat then left us as she was to head down to the south island, and rest of us carried on to Katikati to stay at dad's house for a night, after which I headed up to Auckland, alone. But that wasn't to be the last that I'd see of Chris or Matt...