The East Cape E-scape

On the way to Tatapouri, where we spend the night, we stop at some secret roadside waterfalls, which are so shielded that we would never have found them without Leigh, and for fush 'n' chups at a tiny, not-even-one-horse town. It's a relaxed journey, bumping along in the minibus with two seats each to stretch out on, although tha he screeching of the worn brake-pads causes some concern as drive along the winding, rural roads. The East Cape is very sparsely populated, with the majority of the inhabitants being Maori; we pass many marae's on the journey.

That night we stay at the Tatapouri Dive Centre, a beachfront five centre with accomodation for backpackers across the road. The dive centre itself, an open-fronted building with a large Terrace, firepit, bbq and sofas, is so close to the sea that at high tide the sea slaps against the Terrace wall - you will get splashed if you stand too close! Our accomodation has a boys' and a girls' dorm, so I get a room all to myself - luxury!

We spend the afternoon exploring the rocky beach in the hot sunshine, and meeting the family who run the centre; there are lots more people there than usual that day because of it is Easter weekend. That night we eat hangi, freshly-caught-that-day by the centre owners snapper and crayfish (I do not like crayfish and fresh vegetables! Expensive or not, it tastes horrible!), then gather round the firepit to drink possibly a little too much wine, and listen to sea slapping against the seawall and the owner of the centre sing classic rock songs and maori songs accompanied by his acoustic guitar. We see the moon rise, golden-orange above the sea, and the thousands of stars scattered across the pitch-black sky.

The next day, us three get up at 5.30am to watch the first sunrise in the world from the beach. Then, after cooking ourselves a pretty impressive Easter breakfast, we each take a hammock next to the sea and stay there for most of the morning, before setting off, under sudden black clouds, for Tikitiki. I'm feeling pretty exhausted by now, after only four hours sleep, so the rural, rain-lashed charms of the farmstay-hostel at Tikitiki don't have much impact. The evening improves when Leigh cooks J'kar, the guys and two WWOOFers at the hostel an amazing roast dinner - complete with good wine, wild pig (caught by the WWOOFers) and yummy roast kumara, pumpkins and carrots. I'm so full and sleepy that even the massive crevasse in the middle of the my squeaky bunkbed's mattress feels cosy when I crawl into bed.

The next morning we're pursued out of the Eastender Backpackers driveway by their over-enthusiastic dog, and get on our way. We drive for most of the day, including a slightly hair-rising km or two along the unsealed East Cape road, which is slippery and stony in the intermittent rain. The road hugs the sea-pounded coast, with a fair drop-off to the left, particularly on the stretch closest to the East Cape lighthouse, which we walk to by climbing 760 steps. It used to be situated on the island offshore from the Cape, where the lighthouse keeper and his family lived year-round. What a way to live - so close and yet so far from the mainland, on a small, wind-lashed island; unable to leave in rough or stormy weather, hours from medical care and emergency supplies. No wonder many of the keeper's children died there.

The weather and skies clear in the afternoon, perfect for our drive back along the gorgeous coastline, with views out of the blue sea to White Island in the very far distance.

written by  LizIsHere on April 4, 2010 from Tatapouri, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand & Australia 2010
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