We found this guy standing guard on the beach at Woolley’s Bay during our evening walk, and I must say I was tempted to consider crab for dinner, but he would have not been big enough for the two of us. Day two at Woolley’s Bay we decided to walk to Matapouri Bay along the coastal walkway, This involved a detour to Whale Bay and the water just looked fantastic. You can see why it would be trendy in the summer.

The walk down to Whale Bay was through a stand of native bush with lots of Puriuri trees with the one below almost straddling the pathway

From there we continued on the walkway across the clifftops towards Matapouri, and despite my well-known fear of heights I even got close to the edge at the lookout, it was just too beautiful not to be looking. From there, the path descended steeply, and the photo below does not really do it justice.

Lunch in Matapouri for what I hate to say where some of the worst fish and chips we have eaten in a long time. From there, we walked back along the road to the van at Wolley’s Bay for our last night to discover a large group of locals who were having a group lunch. It was really disappointing that with all the controversy around freedom camping that it’s the locals who are discarding their Kina shells into the estuary and letting plastic bags blow out of the back of their vehicles without bothering to pick them up.

Only 6 lots of campers last night maybe some of the people arriving felt intimidated by the locals as we saw several people drive in and then drive out again, so compared to the 20 lots of campers the previous night it was a quiet night.

Back to Nugaruru in the morning to empty the grey and black tanks and then a quick stop at Tutakaka for a wander around the marina and a quick look at the local shops. From there we took the winding road to Whananaki intending to spend the night at one of the campgrounds in the north part but decided to venture into Wananaki South to have a look at the beach and the longest footbridge in the southern hemisphere,

From there, we decided to explore the southern side. We came across a freedom camping area at the Whananaki Recreational Reserve, where you can stay for 3 nights without cost. The place is just stunning with white sand beach crystal clear water, and yes we even went for the first swim of the season. It was a little refreshing, but it was just too good to turn down.

If you would like to see all the places we have visited click here

If you would like to see the ratings of the places we have stayed click here