PART ONE - WHANGATEAU
DAY 1 - Thursday 27 December 2018
Finally after owning The Beast since August and only being able to get away for two weekend trips it was time for our first extended trip. The weather leading up to Christmas had been so so wet and stormy so we were delighted to wake to a clear blue sky that actually had a visible sun in it!! Knowing how congested the road north can get on the day after Boxing Day we were up and organised early saying goodbye to Poppy by 7:00 am.
The traffic at that time of the morning was great and we made it to Omaha beach by just after 8:00 am. As with most campgrounds we couldn't get on to our site until 2:00 pm but the people at Whangateau had agreed to us arriving at 12:00 noon - however that still meant 4 hours to kill. Hence the detour to Omaha. We hadn't been to Omaha for years and it has certainly grown some. Finding a place to leave The Beast wasn't too difficult and we joined the guzzillion dog owners for an early morning walk along the beach. Apparently dogs are allowed on the beach untill 10:00 am and there were LOTS of people taking advantage of this. On the boardwalk to the beach we went over a stream where the noise from the bullfrogs was deafening. It seemed the Pukekos were having as much trouble spotting them as we were.
Being in Omaha brought back many happy memories of cockle gathering and blobbing on the beach with Mum and Dad and a much younger James and Laura and the brothers. Sadly there is no cockle gathering allowed now. Not wanting to abandon The Beast for too long we retraced our steps and headed to Point Wells. What a little gem. Neither of us could remember even knowing about Point Wells but what a lovely little settlement. From Point Wells we could see across to the Whangateau Camp Ground and the waters edge was flanked by beautiful, flowering Pohutukawas.
As we walked along the shore we noticed movement in the water and spotted an Eagle Ray trying to shepherd the small fish in the water. So graceful but unsuccessful in its fishing attempts.
With still a couple of hours to kill we headed to The Sawmill Brewery and Smoko Room. Unfortunately it didn't open until 12:00 noon either so we parked in their carpark, brewed a pot of coffee and enjoyed one of Jenny's Ginger Crisps and a read while we waited for an opportunity to try their fine fare. It was worth the wait with the Masterstock glazed beef
short rib with malt and barley just falling off the bone. Their home brewed bevvies hit the spot as well.
At last it was time to head to the camp ground and we were delighted to see it with the tide in and bathed in sunshine. It is a very tidal spot and, actually there is not much of a 'beach' to speak of but it has fantastic, modern facilities with generous sites and free showers - yes, you read right, free showers. It didn't take long to park, fill up the water, get the awning out, set up the outside furniture and get that first ice cold beer out of the fridge. Having visited this campground in September we went on a quick sortie to re-acquaint ourselves with the environs and then spent a very pleasant afternoon reading and sipping Ginger Girls, watching the large group of young people around us getting ready to go to a local concert - they could have saved themselves some money as we could hear the concert very clearly from where ever it was!
We used up some more of our Christmas ham for dinner then went and explored the 'Island' that you can get to at low tide. After a lovely hot shower I taught Dave how to play 'Sequence' and we enjoyed a glass of the yummy Lewis Road Creamery Chocolate Cream Liqueur that Laura and Jono gave me for Christmas. After such a successful first day we both crashed as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
DAY 2 - Friday 28 December 2018
After a brilliant night's sleep we woke to more sunshine. The slight southerly was still there but by now was in the pleasant range. After getting some caffeine on board Dave decided a cooked breakfast might hit the spot. So fully fueled we headed off for a walk to Big Omaha Wharf which was just a short walk back along the main road. Apparently the boat of choice back in the day was a flat bottomed Dow and Whangateau was home to one of the main boatbuilders of these beasts. From this point we could look back to Point Wells and see where we had been yesterday.
By the time we got back to base camp the tide was fully in, the sun was beating down and Dave felt the need to bust out the SUP board. While he went on a paddle toward the island I sat on the beach and played with the new collage app, Pic Collage - Photo Editor that I had downloaded. You will see evidence with my growing prowess of this app in this blog!
So today was a couple of firsts for this summer season. A first go on the SUP board each and our first swim in the sea - which I have to say was a bit chilly. It was certainly easier getting in off the back of the boat but I got there eventually and although the water was cold it was crystal clear.
The rest of the afternoon passed very pleasantly alternating between time in the sun and time in the shade. Helped by a few beers/ginger beers, a few snacks and a good book each! Dave showed his high expertise with our Baby Weber Q by spoiling us with a perfectly cooked fillet of beef with a rich red wine, onion gravy, barbecued potatoes and an Asian slaw. Just because you are glamping doesn't mean you have to give up gourmet dinners. Which is why we followed this with Vanilla Ice cream liberally doused with part of my pressie from our family's Secret Santa - Thank you Santa!
Which just left time for Dave to thrash me in a game of Sequence before calling it a day.
DAY 3 - Saturday 29 December 2018
A little bit of cloud cover this morning and still that pesky little southerly. Time to talk a bit about the camp. People don't seem stay very long in this campground as we have had quite a few different neighbours in the 3 short days we have been here. Maybe, like us, they are using it as a stepping stone to heading up North. Considering we left it so late to book anything we were very pleased to be able to get in here but I don't think it would have been a problem to have rocked up here as the camp is not full. The facilities are all very new but they are not plentiful - only 6 showers and not many more toilets so you have to pick your time to use them to avoid queues. The camp store is VERY limited so make sure you stock up before getting here. Don't assume, as I did, that you will be able to get milk, bread or newspapers. Best just to expect to be able to get an ice cream or a few sweets.
We had pretty much explored all the environs so we went for a walk around the field beside the campground before grabbing the SUP board and heading to the water. Campgrounds are quite a sea of humanity and you see confident kids, scared of everything kids, super interactive family groups and couples that you wonder how they got together let alone stay together. Once again we both had a go on the SUP board, spent time 'people watching' with David Attenborough's dulcet tones providing the voice overs and went for a long, refreshing swim.
Heading back to The Beast our afternoon was even more entertaining as we watched the new arrivals struggle to put up their tents. There was the large group of families that arrived and had their sites set up working as a well oiled machine, there was the family that both parents stormed off in different directions without one tent pole being unpacked and then there was the family that needed all of us around to help as they had no idea what to do with their flash Kathmandhu tents!
We finished our stay at Whangateau with another superb barbecue dinner and some quality reading time. Before hitting the sack we made the motor home as ship shape and ready for travel as we could as our cunning plan was to get up, have a coffee and get away by 9:00 am. It has been a very pleasant 3 days but to be honest, 3 days was probably enough. Matuari Bay awaits and we are looking forward to being there again after a 15 year break.
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