Hukutaia Domain & Ōhope

Friends of the sunset,

this is definitely a post with the most beautiful pictures of one of the most stunning sunsets I have seen here in New Zealand so far. I mentioned that a storm was brewing and that I made my way north to seek better weather just in time.

From Gisbourne, there are two ways to head further north: 1. directly or 2. with quite a detour over the adjacent peninsula. Since the weather was already reported to be bad, and the roads were generally not in the best condition, with heavy rainfall often causing parts of the road to break away or slide, I clearly chose the first route. Even then, Google Maps did give me a warning while driving that there might be flooding on my route. Fortunately, that was not the case and I arrived safely. Along the way, I made a brief stop at one of the I-Sites to gather information about the region before continuing on through the Hukutaia Domain to Ohope Beach.

The Hukutaia Domain is a reserve that holds a special place for the Maori, as it contains a super old tree where the ancestors of the Maori are buried. It is a sacred site, and the reserve is also adorned with some wooden warriors to protect the ancestors.

The reserve offers a pleasant walk of about an hour, with all the tree species indicated, and many native New Zealand birds chirping their songs here. One thing that is truly breathtaking in New Zealand is the birdsong! It's everywhere and in so many different variations that it is difficult to explain unless you have heard it yourself.

After this peaceful visit, I continued on to the TOP 10 in Ohope Beach, and I must say that this was probably the prettiest beach I have ever been to. Since I was also traveling during the off-season, it really worked to my advantage. However, if this campsite is full, I wouldn't want to be here. (Well, wherever I am, I generally prefer not to travel during peak season because I just don’t like crowds. Hahaha!) Besides the beautiful beach, I let my time pass here leisurely, watched a few series, read a book, and generally didn’t do much except for jumping into the sea now and then.

In the evenings, I enjoyed the breathtaking sunsets. Just WOW!

Incredibly beautiful, and I particularly enjoyed these days, as I only had one more stop (White Island Flights) before starting my work in Hobbiton. More on that in the next post.

I hope you enjoy your own sunset!
Yours, Britta