Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Also at Morere is the
Morere Tearooms & Camping Ground
( 06-837 8792;
www.morereaccommodation.co.nz
;
SH2, Morere; campsites from $17, d $60-90)
, where you can get a re-
spectable toasted sandwich and avail yourself of lovely campsites and basic cabins along-
side the babbling Tunanui Stream. Just over the stream is
Morere Hot Springs Lodge & Cabins
(
06-837 8824;
www.morerelodge.co.nz
;
SH2, Morere; d $80-120, extra adult/child $20/10)
, a farmy enclave
with accommodation in a classic 1917 farmhouse and two cute self-contained cabins.
From Gisborne on SH2, keep an eye out for the brightly painted
Taane-nui-a-Rangi Marae
on the left. You can get a decent view from the road; don't enter unless invited.
SH2 continues south to Nuhaka at the northern end of Hawke Bay. From here it's west
to Wairoa or east to the salty
Mahia Peninsula
. Not far from the Nuhaka roundabout is
Kahun-
gunu Marae
(
www.visitwairoa.co.nz/pages/kahungunu_marae
;
cnr Ihaka & Mataira Sts)
. From the roadside,
check out the carving at the house's apex: a standing warrior holding a
taiaha
(spear), less
stylised than most traditional carving.
WORTH A TRIP
MAHIA PENINSULA
The Mahia Peninsula's eroded hills, sandy beaches and vivid blue sea make it a mini-ringer of the Coromandel,
without the tourist hordes and fancy subdivisions, and with the bonus of dramatic Dover-ish cliffs. It's an endur-
ing holiday spot for East Coasters, who come largely for boaty, beachy stuff, and you can easily get in on the ac-
tion if you have your own transport. A day or two could easily be spent visiting the scenic reserve and the bird-
filled Maungawhio Lagoon, hanging out at the beach (Mahia Beach at sunset can be spectacular) or even playing
a round of golf.
Mahia has several small settlements offering between them a couple of guesthouses, a campsite, a decent pub
and a dairy. See
www.voyagemahia.co.nz
for peninsular info.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Te Urewera National Park
Shrouded in mist and mysticism, Te Urewera National Park is the North Island's largest,
encompassing 2127 sq km of virgin forest cut with lakes and rivers. The highlight is Lake
Waikaremoana (Sea of Rippling Waters), a deep crucible of water encircled by the Lake
Waikaremoana Track, one of NZ's Great Walks. Rugged bluffs drop away to reedy inlets,
the lake's mirror surface disturbed only by mountain zephyrs and the occasional waterbird
taking to the skies.
