Take a Kiwi road trip
Great drives of the North Island
If you were given a dollar for every corner on this route, you could easily fill your tank, and that would be a wise move, because this is back country, where petrol stations are scarce. The East Cape is like nowhere else in New Zealand: it’s further east, for a start, but mainly it’s so remote that life moves at a different pace.
It always has done. The Europeans were late finding their way, and the Ma¯ ori vibe is strong.
You’ll see this in Te Kaha, our starting point, 70km northeast of O¯ po¯ tiki on State Highway 35, the Pacific Coast Highway. With a glorious view over a typically beautiful bay edged by black volcanic rock and a long stretch of soft sand, the tekoteko figure on the roof of the meeting house wears a striking chequerboard-patterned skirt and a challenging expression.
Look too at the bargeboards beneath him: the carvings are masterly.
The road curves through kiwifruit orchards and fields of maize.
The bush, beaches, rivers, and sea, are endlessly distracting, but keep your eyes on the road because all those ‘‘wandering stock’’ signs are there for a reason. Keep a tally: sheep, cattle, pigs, turkeys, cats, dogs, chickens, goats, and horses, are all likely to be sharing the road with you.
Three horses wander across to the beach at Rauko kore to sniff at the seaweed. Behind them, all by itself on the point, a pretty little white wooden church stands beside a lone po hutukawa.
Inside, the warm kauri furniture is painted red and blue by the sun shining through the stainedglass window over an altar carved with the words ‘‘Tapu Tapu Tapu’’, and there are penguins nesting under the baptismal font.
Pattering past outside is a man in freezing works white gumboots and bush shirt, on his unshod horse. On the Cape they’re still a common means of transport, although the quad bike I’ve just seen ploughing across a river is clearly the 21st-century equivalent.
Waihau Bay is where the movie Boy was filmed, and it’s a good place to stop for an icecream and a paddle before continuing towards Cape Runaway.
Its name refers to an unfortunate encounter between hostile local Ma¯ ori and James Cook’s cannon, but don’t be put off by the name he gave Hicks Bay, which comes next – it’s a long, lovely sweep of wild beach fringed by silvered driftwood.
The road drops down to little Te Araroa, where a huge and ancient po hutukawa sprawls beside the school. Turn off there for the 40km round trip to the lighthouse at the tip of the Cape: it’s New Zealand’s easternmost point.
Take care where the sea has nibbled at the unsealed road, and enjoy the long straight past cattle grazing by the sea.
At the end, there’s a climb up through the bush to the lighthouse and a view so splendid you’ll forget about the 800 steps it took to get you here.
On the main road again, swoop through rolling farming country to the church at Tikitiki.
St Mary’s looks conventional, but inside it’s a riot of Ma¯ ori carving and woven tukutuku panels, from ceiling to floor, including the astonishing baptismal font.
That was 114km of scenery, history, culture and assorted livestock: why not call it a day, in heartland country?
There’s plenty more to see before you get to Gisborne, and it would be a sin to rush it.