Tuatapere

After a slow, easy start to the day, we headed back to Gemstone Beach to gather a few treasures for our friend Jude back in Tauranga. From there, we made our way into Tuatapere and settled in at Tui Base Camp—such a lovely, flat grassy spot tucked between hedges that made it feel private and peaceful.
We couldn’t resist stopping at the café for coffee and a bite to eat (hands down, the best caramel slice ever), and picked up some of the famous Tuatapere sausages for later.
With the weather on our side, we took the dogs out for a wander and stumbled across a beautiful bush walkway leading into the Tuatapere Domain. The sound of tūī singing overhead and fantails dancing around us made it feel pretty magical. Along the way, we found blackberry bushes—thorns and all—and gathered a generous haul, surprised to see wild mint growing alongside them.
We finished up by the river, where the dogs had the time of their lives splashing and swimming.
Back at camp, I turned our foraged berries into a small pot of blackberry and apple jam while Neil actually sat still long enough to read a book—rare enough to be worth mentioning!
Another fantastic Southland day!Read more