Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
en suite units sleeping eight (double $185, extra person $25). There is also accommoda-
Bay; d from $110; )
, comprising two nicely kept motel units and a next-door bach (holi-
day home). Meals by arrangement.
Some 17km beyond Waihau Bay,
Whangaparaoa (Cape Runaway)
, where kumara
was first introduced to NZ, can only be reached on foot.
ESSENTIAL EAST COAST
Eat
Delicious fresh produce from the Hastings Farmers Market (
Click here
)
Drink
Hawke's Bay chardonnay
Read
Witi Ihimaera's 1987 novel Whale Rider,then watch the powerful 2002 movie
adaptation
Listen to
Uawa FM (88.5FM, 88.8FM, 99.3FM) in Tolaga Bay
Watch
Boy(2010), Taika Waititi's record-breaking and hilarious film, shot at
Waihau Bay
Go green
Millton (
Click here
)
vineyard - organic, biodynamic, and delicious to
boot
Area code
Opotiki east to Hicks Bay
07; rest of the region
06
Whangaparaoa (Cape
Runaway) to East Cape
The road heads inland from Whangaparaoa, crossing into hilly Ngati Porou territory be-
fore hitting the coast at
Hicks Bay
, a real middle-of-nowhere settlement with a grand
beach. Brilliant views distract from the barrack ambience at the 50-year-old
Hicks Bay
Motel Lodge
( 06-864 4880;
www.hicksbaymotel.co.nz
; 5198 SH35, Hicks Bay; dm $23, d
$75-130, 2-bedroom units $165; )
, squatting high above the bay. The old-fashioned
rooms are nothing flash, although the restaurant (mains $21 to $35, open for breakfast
and dinner), shop, pool and glowworm grotto compensate.
Nearly 10km further is
Te Araroa
, a lone-dog village with two shops, a petrol station,
takeaway and beautifully carved
marae
. The geology changes here from igneous out-
crops to sandstone cliffs: the dense bush backdrop doesn't seem to mind which it grows
