Everything felt pretty wet this morning after the heavy rain during the night.
First up we piled into the cars again and headed just out of town to the Manuka Honey centre, where we were to have breakfast and a tour. We were met by a very entertaining lady called Sue, and she spoke to us for about an hour and a half about their manuka operations, peppered with bits of local history and local culture. I learnt a lot and Bruce and I spent a small fortune on some manuka products which have curative properties. Sue told us that Captain Cook came to the area, and once he and the local Maori had establshed a rapport, the locals made manuka tea for Cook and his crew as a remedy for scurvy. That is how Manuka came to be known as “Tea Tree”. The whole operation runs on pretty basic machinery and processes, but it seems to work. The whole set up was originally funded by a German company who are still customers to this day.
Then it was back to the Lodge for pack up and departure. Despite our concerns we had no problem driving off the grass so made our way out of town with the destination being Te Puia Springs – more about that later.
Just a few kilometers from the Morepork’s Nest was a tiny settlement called Tikitiki and what it is famous for is the church that is located there. The church is unassuming from the outside, looking for all the world like many other churches found in provincial New Zealand.
Inside the church is another matter. It is highly decorated with Maori carvings and weavings. The end of every pew is carved, the baptismal, the organ stand, the pulpit, everything is carved. All the ceiling rafters are decorated with Maori art. The walls feature woven panels, and even the window frames are carved. The whole building is exquisite, and we were happy to leave a donation to help care for it.
We elected not to re-visit Ruatoria as we had been there last time so we drove right on by and headed for Waipiro Bay, where we had also been on our last trip to the area and liked very much. The weather continued to be showery, so after finding a park we decided to have luch and allow the rain to pass before going exploring.
Between 1900 to 1920, Waipiro Bay was the largest town on the East Coast with an estimated 10,000 residents. By 2011 Waipiro Bay’s population was about 1% of what it had been in the 1940’s. It is interesting to note that Sir Robert Kerridge, the founder of the Regent Theatre chain in New Zealand began his first cinema in Waipiro Bay. The town started to die when the new highway was constructed that completely bypassed the town. Now there are relics all over the place of what once was.
The above building is the old Police station and court house.
The graveyard attached to the church was most interesting. There appeared to be no structure, and there were old graves dotted all over the place, with many in a sad state of repair. If we were staying longer I would be happy to clean some of them up.
The beach at Waipiro Bay is a mixture of rock and sand. It is quite a steep beach and the waves were ferocious so there was no way the dogs were going for a swim here.
It was a pleasant interlude, but we piled into the van again and headed off to Te Puia Springs. We had passed through here before, and had heard of the hot springs here but had not seen them, so we were looking forward to enjoying them. Our camping place was to be behind the hotel, and tonight we were having dinner in the hotel. We drove there with eager anticipation.
Poor Camp Leader! He also had great expectations and when he saw what was being delivered I am sure he was quietly having a heart attack. The area where we were to park was boggy and blocked by a tree limb, Nevertheless we somehow all fitted in to the relatively small space available.
The place is now owned by asians who have let it run down in a big way. The grounds needed a lot of care and maintenance, although the lawns were mowed. There were noxious weeds running rampant such as convolvulus taking over a Phoenix palm
The hotel itself was dingy and unwelcoming. The hot pools had to be seen to be believed. The picture below shows the extent of it, and they wanted $12 per person to use it. I decided it was not worth it, but a couple of our team did and said they enjoyed the soak.
Some of us took a walk to the origin of the springs. This was a narrow, barely discernable track through weedy bush, and when we arrived we could hardly believe what we were seeing – a small, steaming muddy, shallow pool. You could be forgiven for thinking you had missed something.
The dinner was another matter. Of the 12 of us, there were only 3 that were happy with their meals. There was a distinct lack of vegetables with most of them, the crispy chicken was dry and not crispy, and the complaints go on. I had a chicken dish that was quite delightful so was one of the fortunate ones.
Fortunately we only had one night here, so bring on tomorrow!
Away From Home NZ 