New Plymouth is on one end of the surf highway, a 100 km corridor that while not right on the ocean provides access to some of the best surfing beaches in the world – I don't exaggerate the guide says this. We spent another lovely morning in our campsite overlooking the sea; coffee, eggs, bacon and orange juice, doesn't get much better. We were on our way down the highway before 9am. First stop was Oakura Beach just one of many idyllic spots on this road. This one comes with an adjoining seaside town thats made for serving needs not selling trinkets. We walked the beach and agreed we should really drive more than 15 km before stopping for the day.
The Taranaki is knowm for its gardens. The soil here is volcanic, rich and deep. We thought we had missed the turnoff for Puketi gardens. Its a 360 ha rainforest garden with rhododendrons and much more. There are 20km of walking paths; we managed to do a 2km loop. We had missed the rhody bloom by about a month. Not a problem, always want to leave something for the next trip.
Opunake is the epicenter of 'Naki surfing and we would lucky to get squeezed into the holiday park that is right on the beach. The upcoming weekend is Beach Party. Its their July 4 and this place is packed. The group across the way brought in tents, tables, BBQ and a refrigerator. We are possibly the only non locals camped here tonite. Spent the afternoon on the beach. Plenty of surfers but very family oriented; a very nice vibe.
This may be our endless summer tour, but I'm also thinking of it as a tour of Savigoun Blancs. Another day another different bottle. Today's is Five Flax. An easy to drink Marlbrough bottle. Life is good.
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