COAST TO COAST RALLY – NEW ZEALAND

25TH OCTOBER – 8TH NOVEMBER 2011

What a beautiful day we had for the start of the Coast to Coast Rally.  Our first night was at the R.V. Centre at Paeroa.  We settled in with a cuppa sitting in the sun chatting with friends and then into the hall for Happy Hour enjoying tour funded nibbles.  We all took our dinner into the hall to have it together.  This was followed by tour funded dessert – a very nice finish to our meal.

We woke to a cloudy day and a walk after breakfast for the walkers.  Some members left for Thames and ‘retail therapy’ for the girls while the guys were left to do their own thing – all meeting up for lunch and a coffee fix.  It was onto Ray’s Rest on the shell bank overlooking the Firth of Thames – a Bird Sanctuary area where the Godwits migrate in thousands to and from Alaska.  Unfortunately the tide was out so not fishing!!  We all had a seafood meal from the popular Kaiaua Fish Shop along the road.  Our Rally Marshalls Shirley and Des and Ann and Lewis organized the order and pick-up of the food.  Was great parked beside the water for the night – what a place to enjoy our dinner.

The weather improved enabling the walkers to enjoy their morning walk along the beach.  After an early morning tea a few members left for Auckland to attend the funeral of one of our members – Ken Gardner who was a staunch member, a popular and respected man and a true gentleman who is going to be sorely missed.  Other members carried on up the beautiful coast to Pine Harbour Marina.  It was Happy Hour outdoors overlooking all the fabulous big and small yachts and enjoying the views of Rangitoto Island, an extinct volcano, in the distance.  The evening was free for van visiting.  Having two nights at this venue was wonderful giving us the chance to take the ferry to Auckland city which is free for pensioners.  We checked out the harbourside where the celebrations took place for the Rugby World Cup.  We had morning tea and walked along Queen Street, checked out Britomart, the train and bus station, and then took the short ferry ride to Devonport, New Zealand’s Naval Base and historic town, for lunch, then returned via ferry back to our base at Pine Harbour in time for Happy Hour.

A French Market held at the Marina the next morning was well attended by the group.  The stall holders were French and dressed to represent their country but painted faces to represent Halloween.  We followed the coast around to Maraetai Beach for lunch and continued on through dairy farms and big homesteads with beautiful gardens.  Our stay for two nights was at the Clevedon Polo Club.  We enjoyed a ‘Hen’s and Rooster’s’ evening that night with some ‘roosters’ having a very late night.!!!  The next day was Market Day in Clevedon and also the regular Sunday Farmers Market at the showgrounds.  Once again these markets were popular with the group.

Our route the next day took us north over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and onto Gulf Harbour for lunch on the water’s edge.  It was a beautiful sunny day as we drove on to Silverdale R.S.A for our overnight stop and a roast dinner in the club rooms. We also celebrated a wedding anniversary with afternoon tea.

Today we travelled to Martins Bay.  Some chose to browse the shops in Silverdale and Warkworth while others visited the ethnic historic village of Puhoi. In 1863 the early settlers of Puhoi came from Bohemia, now the Czech Republic.  The interesting story is told in the local museum and a quaint little pub has recent memorabilia, covering most of the walls and rafters, which have been left here over many years by visitors to the town.  We arrived at Martins Bay campground, a pleasant place right on the beach. In the evening we were treated to a delicious barbecue arranged by our team leaders.  Tasty sausages and meat patties were cooked to perfection and served to us with fresh bread rolls and salad.

 Next morning several people walked over the hill to Scandrett Regional Park.  A central feature of the park is the original homestead. George Scandrett arrived from Ireland in 1863 and a long history of farming began.  Four generations of the Scandrett family were born and raised on this farm, idyllic place just metres from the beach and surrounded by rolling pastureland and bush clad hills.  The homestead is surrounded by old farm buildings - a cowshed, hen-house and a barn housing the old tools used for the every-day farm chores.
Back at the camp our fisherman tried his luck but after an hour when he reeled in his line the bait was untouched. No fish for lunch.   

The first Tuesday in November is Melbourne Cup Day so everyone gathered together at 5pm to watch the race on the large TV screen provided. A sweepstake was held and a lot of hilarity ensued when it was found many punters had drawn "Blank" as their horse! There were not enough horses in the race for the whole group so some unlucky ones drew blanks.

The scenery in this part of the country is spectacular.  Some took the loop road via Leigh visiting Goat Island Marine Reserve and others visited Pakiri Beach where fishing and horse riding are popular pastimes.  Some went to Sandspit hoping to catch the ferry to Kawau Island. Unfortunately the timing of the sailing did not suit. This coast is really beautiful so it was just as nice to relax, have lunch by the water and enjoy the scenery before moving on to Wellsford town. A short drive saw us arrive at the Port Albert Domain on a peaceful quiet country road. At afternoon tea we were treated to cream filled lamingtons to celebrate a birthday and later we gathered in the clubrooms for a games evening.

Climbing upwards we drove past gently rolling farmland, vivid green with spring growth, grazing sheep and cattle. The wind was moving the grass and trees and huge white clouds were racing across the sky. This reminded us of why New Zealand in Maori is named Aotearoa - meaning Land of the Long White Cloud. A lookout at the highest point gave us panoramic views over the Kaipara River Valley with the waters of the Kaipara Harbour pale blue in the distance.  Winding downwards towards Helensville we stopped at Omeru Bush Reserve and walked along a pretty stream to view three waterfalls.  Next stop was at Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens where we viewed over 60 sculptures by leading NZ artists while walking amongst several acres of beautifully landscaped gardens including vegetables and orchard.  After a quick look around the town of Helensville we drove on to Murawai Beach.

Murawai is a typical west coast beach with black sand and wild surf.  The main point of interest here is the gannet colony.  Steep steps lead up to viewing platforms that look out over flat surfaces on the rocky cliffs.   These are choice sites for the gannets to nest.  The birds take up every available space and it is interesting to watch as they practice their flying skills in the strong winds while delivering nesting materials and food to their mates.  Courting pairs were preening each other while others worked frantically on their nests. Soon the chicks will be born and at 15 weeks old they will fly for miles on a big OE to Australia returning as adults to their original nesting site.

After negotiating the busy traffic on the Auckland Motorway we headed south turning off at Papakura and back into the quiet countryside where there are many race-horse stud farms.  We settled in to a lovely campsite at Clarkes Beach. The next day we enjoyed shopping and chatting to locals in Waiuku before driving to Karioitahi Beach.  Waves were breaking far out and tumbling over each other to reach the pitch- black sands of the beach. Over the hills we drove, reaching high points from where we could see both sides of the peninsula and look out over the Manukau Harbour towards Auckland city. Down a side road, we reached Hamiltons Gap where leaning into the wind we battled our way onto the beach.  Iron-sands weld to the rocks forming a rust coloured crust and above are crumbling red cliffs.  The deafening sound of the roaring west coast surf and the relentless winds soon drove us back to the shelter of our vans and we continued on to Awhitu Regional Camp, a beautiful sheltered haven for happy hour before a CB Quiz night in neighbours vans.  

We drove the loop road near the top of the peninsula winding our way through very hilly country.  Farm animals sheltered in the gullies from the bracing winds. We climbed the steps to Manukau Head Lighthouse. This was built after the ship Orpheus was wrecked in the harbour entrance in 1863 with the loss of 189 lives making it NZ’s worst shipping disaster.  From here we could see the turbulent waves and sand bars that make this entrance such a dangerous shipping channel. Later we visited Orua Bay a lovely sheltered beach and Big Bay where the hamburgers were “something to write home about”!  On to Grahams Bay another tranquil place to stay overnight.  

Next morning everyone moved their vans to the beachfront and we gathered for our last morning tea together.  We then drove on to Pukekohe to park at the Cosmopolitan Club where we gathered in the clubrooms for happy hour and later enjoyed a delicious roast meal. 

Thanks were extended to Shirley & Des Carter and Ann and Lewis McGirr. They were warmly applauded by everyone in a show of appreciation for the way they had organised such an enjoyable rally.
For some, this was the first time we had visited the remote and beautiful places on the east and west coasts so near to our largest city.  This rally certainly lived up to its name COAST TO COAST