Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Campers are catered for best around these parts, although a few B&Bs come and go in
the midst. Grassy
Anaura Bay Family Motor Camp
( 06-862 6380;
www.gisbornenz.com/accommodation/
view/401
; Anaura Bay Rd; sites per adult/child from $18/9; )
is all about the location - right on the
beachfront by the little stream where James Cook once stocked up with water. There's a
decent kitchen, showers and toilets.
Back on the highway it's 14km south to
Tolaga Bay
, East Cape's largest community (pop-
ulation 765). There's an
information desk
( 06-862 6826;
uawafm@xtra.co.nz
;
55 Cook St; 9am-5pm
Mon-Fri)
in the foyer of the local radio station (Uawa FM; 88.5FM). Just off the main street,
Tolaga Bay Cashmere Company
( 06-862 6746;
www.cashmere.co.nz
; 31 Solander St; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri)
inhabits the art-deco former council building. Watch the knitters knit, then perhaps pur-
chase one of their delicate works: call to check they're open.
Tolaga is defined by its amazing
historic wharf
. Built in 1929 and commercially functional
until 1968, it's the longest in the southern hemisphere (660m), and is caught somewhere
between rusty decay and dedicated (expensive!) efforts to preserve it. Nearby is
Cooks Cove
Walkway
( closed Aug-Oct)
, an easy 5.8km, 2½-hour loop through farmland and native bush
to another cove where the captain landed. At the northern end of the beach is the
Tatarahake
Cliffs Lookout
, a sharp 10-minute walk to an excellent vantage point.
Tolaga Bay Holiday Park
( 06-862 6716;
www.tolagabayholidaypark.co.nz
;
167 Wharf Rd, Tolaga Bay; sites
from $16, cabins $40-100)
is right next to the wharf. The stiff ocean breeze tousles Norfolk Is-
land pines, and open lawns bask in the sunshine: it's a pretty special spot. Back in town,
the 1930s faux-Tudor
Tolaga Inn
( 06-862 6856;
www.tolagainn.co.nz
;
12 Cook St; dm/s/d $25/60/80)
has
basic but clean pub rooms upstairs, cheap bar meals downstairs ($6 to $10).
Around 16km north of Gisborne, the DOC-managed
Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve
is a 2450-hectare haven for many species of marine life including fur seals, dolphins and
whales. Get out amongst it with
Dive Tatapouri
( 06-868 5153;
www.divetatapouri.com
; 532 SH35,
Tatapouri Beach)
, which offers dive trips, surf lessons, snorkel hire, a reef ecology tour and
even shark-cage diving.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Gisborne
POP 34,800
'Gizzy' to her friends, Gisborne (pronounced Gis-born, not Gis-bun) is a pretty thing,
squeezed between surf beaches and a sea of chardonnay, and proudly claims to be the first
