Mt. Puheke & Matai Bay

Kaitaia was the closest big town, so we went there for a few errands. It's mostly an industrial/farm town without many points of interest. But the local visitor center and library was a nice stop.

The central hall was surrounded by the equivalent of totem poles, resembling each of the cultures that has settled in the nearby lands. A small museum had a wide variety of exhibitions, from the naval history, to farmers, to local wildlife.

We drove back to explore the Karikari peninsula. Our first stop was Puheke, an old extinct volcano in the middle of a long stretch of white sandy beach. It was a straight, 4WD track that led straight to the top. There were nice view of the whole peninsula from up there. Another nice trail at the bottom went on top of a rocky cliffs that was being hammered by the waves.

We decided to stay one more night at the olive farm. We chatted with one of the farmers nearby, an older lady, still doing all the work herself (thinking of getting WOOFFers soon to help). She let us taste and compare some olive oils. Even ones of the same variety, soil and climate tasted different. The difference was in the picking time. Ones picked early in the season (April/May) are very peppery. She preferred to pick later (June), which gave a milder flavour.

The following morning, we walked down the driveway to the Doubtless Bay beach. It’s the same bay that Mangonui is on (where we had the fish and chips). It was a nice spot to catch the sunrise.Read more