Down the East Coast

This is the last post on our recent holiday. The road heads south from Te Araroa and rejoins the coast at Tikitiki where there is an interesting Maori church. It was built as a memorial after the first world war and was promoted by Apirana Ngata, a local leader who became nationally important and was probably the most influential Maori of his generation.

This is a traffic jam, East Coast style!

The first of the really big bays is Tokomaru Bay

and the next Tolaga Bay where we stayed the night in the Inn.

The next morning we walked to Cooks Cove. The first part of the track leads up the headland at the southern end of the bay. Here is the view looking back to the settlement of Tolaga Bay and the mouth of the Uawa River.

This shot looks across the bay and back up the coast towards Tokomaru.

There is some nice regenerating bush on the walk including this splendid cabbage tree.

Cooks Cove viewed from the lookout high on the track. Cook anchored the Endeavour here in October 1769 and stocked up on firewood, water and other supplies.

Leaving Tolaga Bay we drove to Gisborne the only city on the East Coast. This was the place where Cook first landed in New Zealand. Here is a close up of the statue to Young Nick

and the view from Kaiti Hill. If you look closely you can see the statue at the end of the walkway by the trees in the middle right of the picture.

This is the view of Young Nick's Head from the hill.

Our last night was spent at a comfortable little cottage in Mahanga on the Mahia Peninsula.

We swam at Mahia itself and saw the resident dolphin Moko.