Up North 1

Auckland to Pahia

The first leg of our Northland trip was up the East Coast of the Northern part of the North Island.  The GPS got us out of Auckland past the Sky Tower and via the Harbour Bridge (always a thrill for me) and got us on to State Highway 1.  We had a long way to drive today, but we chose to take the smaller, windy, more interesting roads. 

First stop was Orewa – a delightful seaside town not too far from Auckland.  As we stopped next to the beach, we saw a group of older (than us) people walking along the beach, walking sticks, hats and all – obviously a Seniors’ walking club.  Not to be outdone, we took a brisk stroll along the firm, almost muddy beach – a lovely walk which helped clear some of the cobwebs from the previous night’s overindulgence in wine and conversation.  A cup of coffee from the Wild Bean Café, beloved by our friend Richard, and I felt rejuvenated!

We will need to come back this way and plan to spend a night somewhere around here, so decided to have a look at Warkworth and Snell’s Beach.  Warkworth is fairly charming, but the extra distance to Snell’s Beach was worth it – a stunning bay, sparkling in the intermittent sunlight, with a small, hard beach.  It felt a little like the Mediterranean beaches near St Tropez.

We took the scenic route from Warkworth to Wellsford, driving through steep gorges forested with what always seems to me such alien vegetation – austere conifers and luscious tree ferns, farmland that reminded us of the Midlands, except that you could also see the sea, and everywhere, amazing panoramic views of the sea and the islands – Goats Island and Hen and Chickens Islands.

Wellsford is better not tarried in – except that its cleaner, it reminds me of Bergville – the armpit of the Drakensberg.  Once again we took the scenic route, and the first part was pretty ordinary, until we came back to the sea at Langs Beach and Waipu – beautiful stretches of coast.  A brief stop in pedestrian Whangerei, and then on to Pahia, right in the Bay of Islands. 

Pahia is very much a tourist town – very little besides motels, restaurants and tourist shops.  We struggled to find a supermarket to buy some milk.  But the walk along the beachfront and the beach, listening to the small waves breaking loudly on the hard beach, walking on the cool wet sand and soaking up the tourist vibe, was awesome.  As the sun sets, it’s a peaceful evening and a great start to our trip.