Another stormy night behind us with the van shaking about all night in the wind we were finally woken up by logging trucks and their engine braking starting at 5.30am (one even honked their horn to make sure all campers have noticed them!) We headed off towards Opotiki for a coffee and morning tea.
The next part of the journey to Port Ohope Wharf was gorgeous as we drove around the Ohiwa Harbour. It looked like a perfect place to have a house or a holiday home, looking into the calmer waters of the large harbour. Once at Port Ohope, Mal decided that the perfectly placed wharf to fish off didn’t have the best tide at the time and was too windy, but we enjoyed the scenic stop all the same. Whakatane proved to be larger than we thought and we found a nice lively cafe for lunch.
Finally the bumpy night got the best of us and we headed to the next place to camp up for the night, Kohutapu Lodge by lake Aniwhenua. This is a business run by a Maori family who usually enjoy showing off their culture to overseas visitors in the form of different tours. They also provide powered camping so it seemed like a good thing to do to check out their basic lodge and support a small business. We were greeted by lovely smiley ladies who got us settled in and we also greeted the animal family members. This place was at least peaceful as we were the only guests there!
Mal and Tiina 