Karikari Beach Bums

We awoke the morning of Saturday, Feb 25th with absolutely no ambition other than to explore the beaches in and around the Karikari peninsula which is the point of land at the northern end of Doubtless Bay where our Top 10 campsite was situated. After packing a picnic lunch in our chilly bin we headed out. But not before running into our next door neighbours who were a couple from Germany here on a golf holiday, Enno and Renate. Now everyone reading this blog knows Julie quite well and so will not be surprised to learn that 10 minutes later we had a date that night to get together to share a glass of wine after dinner. Then off we went, and using the ipad maps app as our guide decided that the first beach we would hit would be the one on the northern side of the peninsula. There appeared to be a couple of roads leading down to it, but the first was gated with no trespassing signs. Thus we continued further up the peninsula and the road turned to gravel and then to a pot-holed dirt track which led up to yet another locked gate. However, just to the left of the gate we saw a rutted track and sure enough after maybe a kilometer it led to a small parking lot with just two other cars there. The parking lot was perhaps 100 meters above sea level. In the distance to our right was the tip of the Kerikeri peninsula and to our left was the arc of the Aupori Peninsula that leads up to Cape Reinga still far to the north. The crescent beach with beautiful white sand was laid out before us and went for miles in both directions. It was a sunny warm day and the waters in the shallows were a wonderful turquoise blue with darker patches of coral clearly visible.
It was breathtaking and when I get home you will get a tiny inkling of the majesty of this place from the photos I will append. A pathway took us down over the dunes and onto the beach where the surf was rolling in over the fine, firm sand. We learned later that ancient volcanic activity produced unmeasured quantities of sand in the northern peninsula and this sand linked several volcanic islands together to form this part of the island. The wind was brisk and we were trying to decide whether to start our walk into the wind or against it. A couple approached us on their way back to the car and mentioned that they had seen a pod of dolphins well down the beach, downwind from where we stood. This is all it took for us to make up our minds and with the wind at our backs we headed down the beach hoping that we might also get a glimpse. Far down the beach was a solitary figure, just a speck in the sand. Other than this figure we were alone on this huge expanse. The breakers were crashing in and the dry sand at times stinging our ankles as the wind picked it up a few inches to race along the beach. Then well in the distance we could see the dolphins, very close to shore making their way towards us. There were maybe a dozen or so fishing for their lunch occasionally leaping out of the water and generally staying close together in their pack. As they approached I was already thigh deep in the water and while a 'swim with the dolphins' thought did cross my mind, these were very big dolphins (Hector's Dolphins) and as my experience with dolphins is about as deep as it is concerning crossing fords in cars, I immediately discarded the idea. In any event, watching this pod pass by, some within a few meters of where we stood was heart-poundingly exciting. The photos I have do not do this justice in any way.

I guess you really have to be there

The pod continued on past us. We turned around into the wind and followed along the shore staying close for maybe 15 minutes or so. Then after more or less stopping several hundred meters further up the shore, they reversed direction and gave us another pass by performance. Again we reversed direction heading downwind as they made their way along the beach. This back and forth performance carried on for about an hour. The two of us and the one other figure on the beach were the sole witnesses of what was to us a singular event. When we finally got to within hailing distance of our beach's other occupant it was clear that he too had been as awe-struck as we were over this encounter. Turns out Gary was a surfer from Tofino fulfilling a long held dream to come to New Zealand to surf the many surf beaches on offer here. Yes, it's a SSW. Finally the dolphins became mere specks again and so we heaed back to the car to retrieve our lunch which we consumed gazing out on this incomparable vista. Back in the car we drove the maybe 5 K to the south side of the peninsula to another perfectly shaped, but smaller crescent beach of Waikato Bay.

Waikato BayWatch

There we walked maybe a kilometer or two before setting up our chairs and pulling out our books for a bit of relaxing. The wind was still a bit brisk and so after an hour or so we decided to reverse our steps and go instead to Matai Bay. Here we were perfectly sheltered from the wind and warmed up enough to find it necessary to go in for a swim in order to cool down. I'm not sure what the water temperature would have been. It's definitely not like Mexico, but, it was warm enough for Julie. By now it was late afternoon and after a quick stop back at camp to shower we headed into town for fish and chips and a pint of Tui. Julie had the snapper and I had salt and pepper calamari. Served up in waxed newspaper and plastic knives and forks, we sat in an open deck right at the shore with the sun low in the sky. The food was delicious. But if you wanted vinegar you had to pay an extra dollar. We paid.

Fish and Chips & a pint at sunset.

No sooner had we returned to our cabin than Enno knocked on our door, bottle of wine in hand. He and his wife Renate were here on a golfing holiday. Renate had recently retired from teaching and plays to a 9 handicap. Enno, an economics professor at a university in Hamburg seldom beats her anymore given that she is now playing 6 days a week. We had a great visit and it was really interesting to hear his views on the issues facing the EU. By now we were getting drowsy what with such a fine day on the beaches, a fine meal, and a fine glass (or three) of wine with our new friends, we were off to bed, truly contented.