Day 11 and 12 Omokoroa
James & I set off in the morning - no real plan - a car and a road ahead of us. First thing that caught my eye - I was driving - was a large sign which said Omokoroa beach - next right - well have car will travel - if you look at the map you'll see the whole area is shielded from the sea - so it is one large peaceful / gentle sheltered area - well established, looks as if was quite a popular spot.
Had a look around here and then continued on along the road 2 on the map and saw a sign for a museum so turned off - ended up having a personally guided tour of the museum (if you can call it that) in Katikati – a collection of artefacts from the last 200 years - what was wonderful were the actual hands on experience as opposed to everything being ain a glass case - we saw an example of 3D slides - black and white as well as the first colour ones this is all about 100 years old, if not more - we held a sort of viewmaster type instrument and the woman inserted multiple examples for us to view. After the ground floor tour we had to go upstairs where husband was waiting for us and he crried on with the tour. He was virtually blind and had us helping with the video machine and other odds and ends as we went along - both had obviously lived here for many years and had extensive knowledge about the area - one of the few areas where things where apparently conducted legally – Maori’s paid for and agreed to sell the land. Many families were promised properties / land here in New Zealand - this would have been after serving in the army - it was wild land though and a lot did not have the stomach for the work - so didn't always last. Lovely now though and very fertile although the land was thought to be cursed - some chemical imbalance which was only discovered many years later. The woman was also kind enough to point us towards a lookout position - tow photo's taken of this - Lookout 1 - across the KatiKati area looking back towards Tauranga Lookout 2 - shows low tide Katikati beach
From here back on to the road and on to Waihi which boasts one of the largest open gold mines in the world - still being mined today - it is just massive - the large construction trucks look like tiny matchbox cars in the distance - it is just vast. Also it is literally right in the town - not the middle of nowhere.
Later drove to both Waihi beach
and then on to Bowentown point - which gave us a lovely view across the sheltered lagoon areas as well as the Waihi coastline - see outline of the map below.
Ended up back at the ranch - had a braai - it was a beautiful evening
Day 12 drove back to Auckland.
Omokoroa - Katikati museum - Wahi - Bowentown point - Braai
Later drove to both Waihi beach
and then on to Bowentown point - which gave us a lovely view across the sheltered lagoon areas as well as the Waihi coastline - see outline of the map below.
Day 12 drove back to Auckland.
Omokoroa - Katikati museum - Wahi - Bowentown point - Braai
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