From Auckland to Gisborne

Jan 6th

After more 34 hours on the road / in the air, I was starting to forget where I was, but the Auckland airport reminds you quickly where you have just landed: the whole building is decorated with maori sculptures and scenes from The Lord of the Rings, no way you can escape!
Friendly staff at the airport, a bus driver in the shuttle to the city center who acts like a tour guide and gives everyone as much advice as possible, it is nice to be welcome in such a way.
starting with something really local, the name of my first backpacker is the "Cozy Kiwi". They can't find my booking but no problem "they should be able to accomodate me". Sounds like good news ;)
Sounds like I am not the only one to be jet lagged, someone has just told me "Good morning" and it is 8pm...
A short walk in the streets where almost everything is closed (it is Sunday today) in order buy some fruit and strecth my legs, and I fall asleep like a baby.

Jan 7th

9am, time to meet my Toyota Corolla. We should spend quite a few hours together by the end of this trip.
I manage to reach Thames without taking the motorway or the roundabouts in the wrong direction. May be I will survive to driving in New Zealand...
This little town, which was built for the gold diggers, feels like the American Far West. Same atmosphere and architecture.

Later on, the road follows the shore. I stop every kilometer in order to make pictures. This is not helping for the average speed...

 

Short walk on Surf Beach, then on Hot Water Beach (with no hot water because of the high tide...)

And to finish the day with the most amazing spot, a one hour walk to go to Cathedral Cove. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking!

 

Jan 8th

Kia ora!
The jet lag eventually caught me. Woke up at 2am, and impossible to sleep again before 7am. It is gonna be a long day.
At least it should not be too hot, the sky is very cloudy this morning. Hope it won't rain.
First stop in Opotiki, the last town before Gisborne, here is where you leave the sea resorts and enter the maori land, and the "Aoteroa", the land of the long white cloud.
Two statues from a local artist, Heke Collier, were inaugurated in 1991, and tell about the story of this part of the country

The Sunrise Coast is just amazing, the scenery changes at each corner of the road, I could spend weeks driving on such roads.
More and more motorbikes since yesterday, they must really have a blast here.
At noon, I reach the 100 year old anglican church of Raukokore, in the middle of the countryside, a few meters away from the sea.

Stop for lunch at Te Araroa, the farthest you go to the East in New Zealand. Feels like you have reached the end of the world. Even the gas station does not look like anything seen so far.
In the courtyard of the school is one of the oldest pohutukawas (holy trees) of the country, it is more than 350 years old, and its name is Waha O Rerekohu. It is the "family tree of the tribe".

In Tikitiki, one more anglican church, St Mary, but this one is maori, and was built in remembrance of the soldiers who died during World War 1.

Last stop of the day before reaching Gisborne: Tokomaru Bay, in order to enjoy the beach during a few minutes.

Just a few minutes before 6pm, I arrive at Okitu, good to see Colin again and to eventually meet Gill.
Their place is breathtaking, the walk after dinner gives me the opportunity to discover their bush forest, where everything was planted manually, whereas you have the feeling those trees have been there forever.
It is so big that you could easily get lost in the garden.
I couldn't imagine that human hands could get such a result.