An Apartment (and More) in Tutukaka

We loved our Sunday morning in Ahipara. We had a fantastic view of Ninety Mile Beach from our motel patio, and Tim could kind of see (and keep tabs on) the surf spot. I went out for a morning run and saw a wild horse in town -- you know, as one does.

The wild horse in town.

We drove three minutes up the road to the North Drift Cafe, where we had tried to go for lunch the day before. Breakfast on the Cafe patio was delicious and sunny. It was also quiet; everywhere we've traveled in New Zealand has been quiet. Tim and I were remarking that, at least on our travels, there's been a lot of nothingness -- in a good way. The towns are small, they're not built up, there aren't that many people, nature rules; it's the exact opposite of where we live in Orange County. Life in these New Zealand towns feels peaceful, calm, and safe. 

Yummy!

You can never have too many waffles.

After fueling up, we hit the Superette again. We wanted some drinks for our next drive. And what do you know, but we saw the hiker from the day before in the Superette!! The guy still had his large pack; who knows how long he'd been on his feet. Good on him! Also, no thank you.

Before we left Ahipara, we went back to Shipwreck Bay and took a walk along the beach and rocky point. In Ahipara, the beach is considered a public road, so we dodged a few cars here and there.

Our morning walk.

This is where Tim surfed the night before.

Then it was back on the road. We were leaving the west coast and heading for the east coast, for a town called Tutukaka. Tutukaka boats a ton of snorkeling, diving, and fishing opportunities. And there's good surf nearby.

We stopped for lunch along the 2.5-hour drive and stopped again at the Whangarei Falls, a beautiful waterfall located in Whangarei Scenic Reserve and not that far from Tutukaka. But everyone was jonesing to get to the beach, so we didn't spend too much time at Whangarei. 

Another waterfall!

We passed through Tutukaka and drove to Matapōuri. The beach there was GORGEOUS and pretty empty. Tim and the kids got in the water. I did not. Maybe you've noticed a theme here, but I like my ocean water warm. Very warm. 

This view just does not get old.

Testing out the (cool) water...

Following a delightful hour at the beach, we went back to Tutukaka and checked into our hotel: Quality Hotel Oceans Tutukaka. As its name suggests, this place was quality. We may have saved the best hotel for last. We had a full-on apartment as our hotel room! AND we had a washer AND a dryer AND a few packets of laundry detergent! This place is the best...happy day!

There was also a general store outside our hotel and you'd better believe we hit that store up for water, gum, and snacks. Fine living in Tutukaka.

For dinner, we walked around the corner to Schnappa Rock (which we couldn't stop saying all night). The food was delicious.

Back to our apartment afterwards -- with clean clothes and excitement stored up for our Monday boat ride to the Poor Knights Island marine reserve. That'll be our next blog post!