Gisborne to Whakatane

The day didn’t start as warm as the previous days. But, optimist that I am, I donned my bathing suit and summer clothes, for I was heading into the East Coast section of the North Island where there reportedly are New Zealand’s best beaches. Thus I finally got to have a swim a second time in the South Pacific, more specifically at Wainui Beach, near Gisborne. Although the water’s temperature was nowhere near Caribbean, lots of other people had the same idea and enjoyed being in, on, or at the sea. A good thing, too, to enjoy it when we did because the weather turned by noon and ushered in the wet part of the long Labour Day weekend.

Happily, disregarding sandy feet and wet bum, I went on today’s way. Similarly to the previous day, I was on a coastal drive first and then on winding, hilly roads. Showers came and went while I travelled past orchards, vineyards, mountainous and plain farmland, forests, horse country – apart from the sheep and the cattle, of course. My stop at Hicks Bay, the northernmost point of the East Coast and the easternmost point of the Bay of Plenty, was short but dry. The cloud cover thick and dark made for a dramatic mood, no doubt.