One of the worst summers that New Zealand has ever experienced continues. Auckland and Northland are currently being battered by high winds and rain, but even here at Ohope Beach in the Bay of Plenty, there is enough of both to satisfy the wild weather fanatic.
Having turned back from our trip further north, we avoid the epic floods of Auckland and drive to Awakeri, via Te Puke where we find a wonderfully eccentric cafe with clients sitting on 1950s sofas in the bay windows. Then, in Awakeri we spend two nights hunkered down in great comfort on an alpaca farm.
Hosted by Charlotta, with her German touches, the accommodation is large, spotlessly clean and better equipped than most people’s homes. It also has the advantage of wonderful home-grown produce – eggs, avocados, tangerines, corgettes – which Charlotta seems only too happy to share with us. There’s no let up in the rain, so we take a drenching run in a battering wind just to punish ourselves enough to justify spending the rest of the time lounging about and eating.
On Sunday, we head to Ohope Beach where we’ve been fortunate enough to book an airy first floor flat with a view of the sea. We enjoy two rain-free days, exploring the beaches, peninsular and inland Scenic Reserve, but now the wind and rain are back and no-one is on the beach. Somewhere in the bay is Whale Island. Our host suggests a kayaking trip around its base, but we can’t see it. It’s veiled in mist, rain, salt spray or a combination of all three. Needless to say, photos of our surroundings are few and far between!
