We left the Bay of Islands after an incredible morning jet-ski to drive to Matakana. While on the road we stopped at the Kawiti Glowworm Caves. This was our first experience with glowworms and we learned that glowworms are really maggots attracting food with their bioluminescence. The Kawiti caves were discovered in the early 17th century by the well-known chieftainess Hineamaru. They are still owned and operated by direct descendent of Hineamaru. When it got dark and the glowworms were visible, it was mesmorizing. (No photos allowed inside the cave.) It felt like we were visiting fairies or traveling in the nightsky amoung the stars.
We arrived at the Riverside Matakana in late afternoon.Our “bach” had a glass wall/door next to the bed that overlooked the valley.It was stunning both in the day and night.The sky was clear the first night and there were no street or home lights. The stars filled the night sky.It was so special for us but when you talk to locals they had forgotten how fortunate they are to have the Milky Way fully exposed.
The town of Matakana was very small. Despite being a holiday weekend, we saw few people in town with one expection. The main street was crowded around dinner time. Several restaurants were closed and the the most popular restaurant had a 30 minute wait to sit down and another 45 minute wait to place your order. The kitchen was small. We decided to eat at the Thai/Indian restaurant down the road and had a delicious curry supper.
February 6 is Waitangi Day and most sites, shops and restaurants were closed.Taking the suggestion of a local, we went to the “best beach in New Zealand.”The road to get into the Tawharanui Regional Park passes through farmland on a curvy road. The 588-hector park is on apeninsula that extends into the Pacific Ocean and has white sand beaches, rolling pastures, coastal forests and wetlands.We were not the only ones to think about going to the Tawharanui and the beach was crowded.Ian and Kaley took a walk and discovered that the crowds stayed at the beach closet to the car park.We walked down the beach to the other side of a rock bar to a nearly deserted beach.The water was the same but there were only a few surfers and swimmers.It is no wonder that some consider this one of New Zealand’s best beaches.
