Okay time to get a move on, to get on our way, I said. It was already after 2, total distance travelled during the previous four and a half hours: 80 kilometres. At this rate we’d be lucky to get to our accommodation before breakfast the next morning.
No more stopping, I said.
There may have been a snort, or a guffaw, from John. But I was steadfast in my resolve.
We’ll keep going now, till we get there, I said. There, being a cottage at Whanarua Bay which, according to Google, was another two hours driving time. (Although, to be honest, that was Google’s opinion when we left Makorori earlier in the morning. We were in the land of no reception, now. Things could have have changed!)
I declared all this as we pulled out of the Te Puka Hotel carpark at Tokomaru Bay. To his credit John said nothing although that snort/guffaw may have escalated to full-blown choking, but only for a moment or two.
I remained steadfast in my resolve. We drove through Te Puia Springs without pausing. And Ruatoria only got a nod. We made progress for twenty-three contented minutes.
And then …
Hey look at that mountain, I said. Wait! That’s gotta be Hikurangi. Stop the car.
If you conclude that there was laughter, lots of it, from the driver you wouldn’t be far wrong.
But hey! It was Hikurangi. The spiritual mountain of the Ngati Porou. The first place to see the light.
How long do you think it would take to get to the top? I asked. To be fair, I knew this was a silly question. I did know getting there would probably involve a long walk and a night in the bush.
We haven’t got the time, or the gear, John said.
Okay, I’ll just take a photo, then.
Mt Hikurangi
And it didn’t slow us down much, five minutes at the most. After which we managed another half hour of solid, non-stop driving.
Until we came to St Mary’s Church, Tikitiki. Anyone who has been there will know it’s a compulsory stop. There’s a monument to Sir Apirana Ngata in the grounds. And the church is is watched over by the lone soldier memorial I mentioned when I told you about our visit to C Company House in Gisborne.
Sadly, the church was locked – a sign of the times, I suppose. Given the constraints on us it was probably a good thing. I do remember the interior from a previous visit some ten years ago. It’s very ornate, with beautiful Maori carvings. Now that I have a camera I might have found myself unavoidably delayed. For those who are interested you can check out photos on the NZ History site.
St Mary’s, Tikitiki
On the road again, I repeated my postprandial exhortations: no more stopping.
At the turn off to East Cape itself I merely waved at the signpost. The road’s shingle, John reminded me.
We can’t be taking a rental car down there, I said.
There may have been a hint of regret in my voice, or a generous dollop, that would depend on who is telling the story. As it happens I’m the one of the charge of the keyboard so we’ll settle for the merest hint of regret. And who can blame me? A road trip around East Cape is an incomplete road trip without a visit to the Cape itself.
We’ve been there before, said John.
I remembered those 700 steps up to the lighthouse. I told John, We know we can get up them. We don’t have anything to prove on that score. (Although, or course, my trainer might have a different opinion about that one!)
So happily convinced of the lie that we weren’t missing out on anything, we carried on. Half an hour later, at the top of a large hill, John said, Look, there’s Hicks Bay.
No stopping, remember? I said. We’ve been there before. Not much will have changed, I said. But, oh, I wish I could have checked out the ruined freezing works. Just to see whether that really was where Sydney Bridge Upside Down was set.
Both of us gazed regretfully down on the Bay.
On and on we went. On our way to Whanarua bay. The few cars became fewer. The logging trucks, which earlier in the day had been numerous, were no longer a problem.
It was almost the golden hour as we approached Ruakokore – five minutes from our destination. But we had to stop.
Built in the 1880s, Christ Church tells a lonely story – the story of people holding to their traditions, to hope, to the things they brought with them, twelve thousand miles. It’s lovingly maintained.
Christ Church, Ruakokore
And it’s open, for those who wish to pray. But, you might have to contend with a strong fishy smell. A notice near the baptismal font apologises – there are penguins nesting beneath the sanctuary.
Interior of Christ Church, Ruakokore
When you’re on a road trip, how do you figure out when to stop and when to keep on going?
Remember, you can check out more posts from Photo101 Rehab.
Jill's Scene 
If I had time I would stop at every place enroute. But, most of the time, we have to be at a destination at a certain time so there’s no stopping as we go along. 😦 So glad you stopped at Christ Church so we could smell the penguins. I am sure there are other times when you stop and smell the roses, too.
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Laughing now. And, yes, sometimes there are roses to smell. Interestingly, along this route there are a lot of wild roses, in some cases they’re all that remains of early European settlement. It was too late for them on this trip.
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Valuable heritage roses in some cases, I would expect.
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Ah, Aotearoa, so beautiful, even on a cloudy day! Bonne Voyage.
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Thanks, Claire!
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It just gets better and better Jill. Next time, and I’m assuming there will be one, you will have to leave your accommodation options open, then you can take a tent and sleep in the bush…. The more I read of your travels the more I keep saying to Jack “next time in NZ we are going round the Cape”….
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Oh yes, you and Jack and the Cape – I can see the posts now. And the photos!! And you’ll find all the best places to stay – those out of the way, uniques spots you and Jack specialise in!
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You’re really whetting my appetite for the adventure Jill. Will have to try and time it for Pohutukawa time…
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No doubt about it, that would be the best time. The only down side, if it is one, there would be more people around.
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Yes, maybe, but still plenty of space to explore. It never seemed to be too crowded back in the day when we were exploring that area. Maybe it has changed now…
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Penguins nesting beneath the sanctuary. Oh Jill, that may just be the most perfect line ever written. Or least the best I can think of right now. On our road trips it’s easy; if we all together we stop for public loos and skateparks. If it’s just me and T we don’t stop much at all, and if I’m solo (or with the kid when he has his camera) — anywhere that looks like it might make a good photo.
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It must get a bit smelly in there during the services, don’t you think? But I think a very small price to pay for the privilege. Isn’t it interesting how having a camera and an eye for the perfect shot changes everything about travel?
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Yes; I don’t have a lot of experience of penguins (not something I ever expected to say), but from those few close encounters I have had, they are pretty whiffy. And yes again, travelling with a camera is a whole different (and pretty wonderful) experience. 🙂
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Whiffy – now, that’s the right word.
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I love traveling with you, Jill. And your descriptions are fantastic. It makes me imagine how things are happening as in a movie.
I would have stopped everywhere. But that because it would be my first time there.
The photo is stunning. And the remark about the penguin was so natural to you, that made me smile.
And thanks for bringing it to the rehab.
Cheers.
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Thanks so much Lucile, I really appreciate your encouragement. If you, now, make that: when you come to New Zealand allow plenty of time for stops along the way, then 🙂
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You’re very welcome, Jill. Your site it’s delightful. And I’ll surely do that whenever I visit your country. 🙂
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I love these stories. So funny about the penguins. Journeys are supposed to be like this, destinations are great, but the fun is in getting there. If you didn’t stop, you’d be making a list for then return trip. Thanks for sharing the photos and your adventure.
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Hi Dan, Even with all our stops I’m like: but we didn’t do this, and I wish I could have done that and that and that! I find this part of the country so fascinating a month wouldn’t be long enough! And maybe, one day, I might just do that, spend a month or maybe more, wandering from bay to bay. Now that would be my ideal summer holiday.
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Given the images you’ve been sharing, I’d say that would be a good idea.
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During early summer when the pohutakawa trees, which line most of the road and the beaches, are in full flower would be the perfect of perfect times. I can imagine it : the red flowers, the blue seas, bluer skies, the black of the rocks and the white tipped waves – a photographer’s dream, and a writer’s for that matter.
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sounds like a nice day on your trip – I always like little details you add like this:
“a long walk and a night in the bush….”
and for us – stopping really depends on so many factors (like with you guys) – and sometimes we discuss while other times we have limited time – because as you so well know – it can really suck up time…
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Hi Yvette, Isn’t it funny how a five minute stop can turn in to half an hour or, with us, a couple of hours! Fortunately, on this trip we didn’t have any deadlines other than self-imposed ones like getting there before dark.
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oh that makes the trip even better when there are only self-imposed deadlines – 🙂 – and looking forward to catching up on the other posts – have a nice day 🙂
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“penguins nesting beneath the sanctuary”! Do you realize how this sounds for someone roasting in the Philippines? Love it, so out of my (current) world, thanks for the trip my dear 🙂
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What a laugh – penguins and the tropics don’t really go together, do they! I didn’t actually get to see them. My guess is that they were probably little blue penguins which are, in fact, quite common on our coast line. But they’re very shy.
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