Puriri Bay, Whangaruru North – is a little slice of heaven! It is a DoC campsite with soft golden sand, gently lapping waves and so many different birds to see. We are camped right on the beach front and it isn’t too long before you become mesmerised by the skill and speed of the gannets who spy their prey from meters above and then dive with a spectacular splash into the water to get their catch. No chance of catching that on camera! We also see a family of Quails – the babies are cute, a thrush that kept coming to show us the worms it had caught but I think our favourite had to be the Oystercatchers who also had babies, three to be exact and oh man are they cute! This bay is teeming with wildlife – we also saw small sprats jumping in the shallows, possibly to escape the short tailed ray that was looking for something to eat. It was really interesting watching how the rays (there may have been two or more) manoeuvring the sprats in order to catch them. We had a swim here as the water was so inviting – this was before we knew there were rays about! The sunset here was stunning. We had cold water showers in the morning – quite liberating having a shower in a room with no roof and being exposed to the elements!

We spend one night at Whangaruru South and as it is Friday, we have fish and chips looking out to sea…

Matapouri Bay – our next stop along the coast is Matapouri. A beautiful curved bay with headlands at either end. Even in overcast weather, it is still lovely. We go for a walk to one end of the bay and manage to get back before the rain sets in.

Tutukaka Marina – we book into the campsite early and have a wander down to the marina for a coffee. Oh my goodness, it is a very busy marina. We have a good stroll around the boats and then decide to have lunch in a place overlooking the boats. There is a friendly local short tailed ray here who has been here for years – there is even a local monument to him/her/it? Don just can’t resist a swing on the tyre under the most beautiful tree.

On our journey along the coast, we stopped to pick up some groceries and a coffee of course. Found some interesting second hand shops to fossick around in. Came out of the coffee shop to see a lady walking her pony as you do!