We left the campground this morning at 10:30 and made way
for Te Mata peak. It was impressive, but
I could’ve missed the view as once we were up there, I shot a couple pics and
then left. The next stop was Cape
Kidnappers and once out there, understood that this was a tourist trap as well. Thankfully the tours weren’t running yet as it
was high tide. Again uninterested in
this spot we moved onto Ocean Beach and this was a treat. The stunning scenery and perfect beach
setting makes this our best beach of the trip so far. We could have spent the entire day there, but
after 1 ½ hours we opted to test our luck with the next beach.
The next stop brought us to a small village and a campground
that looked a little deserted if not for someone mowing the lawn. The shore was rocky and featured many shells
for Tegan to gather.
Unfortunately we made our way to the next stop and realized
I had likely left my tripod on the last beach.
The tripod was worth more than the gas so off we fled to seek the
forgotten item. Thankfully after the 40
minute return ride, the tripod was still there, a little wet from the incoming
tide, but exactly as I had left it.
This latest escapade told us we were all out of adventure
for the day, so we made way for our
holiday park in Porangahau. This community
looks like a nice stop for tourists including craft shops and day outings in
nearly every direction. I would like to
revisit this spot on another trip to New Zealand. We drove past the intended holiday park stop
and went to the beach only to find a Freedom campsite on the beach, so we
stayed there instead. We learned that
you can stay at most any rest area that has toilets in a vehicle like ours or
if you have a larger campervan with on-board toilet, you can stay at any rest stops
that don’t have toilet facilities, unless otherwise noted.
The spot we chose in the freedom campground required 3 tries
just to get onto the knoll we selected.
Tegan thought I was a little crazy for trying this.
This evening under a veil of stars we strolled out to the
beach to photograph the stars and lighthouse.
On our way back to the campervan we came across a hedgehog stunned by
our bright flashlights and standing motionless on the path at our feet. I was unsure if we could pick it up or not
and decided to not in case it would try to bite. After what seemed to be 2-3 minutes the
hedgehog scurried off into the dune grass.
Tegan really got excited after seeing the hedgehog and her
energy rose so we tried our hand at light-painting. I would say that our first attempt at
coloring a photo with light was successful, Tegan and I are both eager to have
another remote location to try this creative photo play again. Happy Birthday to my daughter Celeina!
