Friday 30 December 2005 – Mahia Beach to Mountain Valley


Trip: SH2 – Mahia Beach – Waikokopu – Opoutama – Nuhaka – Whakaki – Tuhara – Wairoa – Ohinepaka – Waihua – Raupunga – Kotemaori – Utorino – Kahika – Tutira – Tangoio – Bay View – Napier – Bay View – SH5 – Mountain Valley

End Mileage: 173932

Start Mileage: 173673

Distance Travelled: 259

Awake at 7:35am – not really much chance to sleep-in in a camper or at a camp site! Had a coffee before leaving this time as not so much of a rush to get anywhere.

Had a quick stop beside Mahia Beach itself to check it out.


Then we did a side tour to the other side of the peninsula and looked at Pukenui Beach. Some lovely homes on this road as well and the odd nice looking beach. We also saw a small POP, looked like it would only take about 5 campers but it was in a great spot, then again finding a spot that wasn’t good would be more of a challenge.

Back on to SH2 by 9:35am. Stopped at Wairoa for breakfast. Found a place by the river that looked over to the Meatworks so a lovely view of a chimney!



Through “town” and we found the lighthouse by the round-about on the main street. Not the 700 or so steps to get to this one!


Back on the road a bit before 11am after food having decided we’d splurge and find a café for a “real” coffee, not that the coffee bags are that bad. We stopped at “Café 287” which is about 3km south of Wairoa itself. Really nice – newish. Looks out over a rest stop by the river on the other side of the road. Two guys smoking a pig (yes dead) in the rest stop. Left there about 11:45am.



The dog was set up with his own Christmas Decorations and seemed quite happy about it:


After some more horrid hills (which seems to be the “norm” for this coast) we crossed the Mohaka River at 12:30pm. We stopped briefly at a rest stop to look at the river and a long (and tall) railway span that crosses the river.

View from horrid hill.


Mohaka River



Proof that we did put the fluffy dice in BILITY:


Made it to the SH5 turn off to Taupo about 1:40pm but we figured it was too early to go to the camp site so after much discussion (“shall we?” “oh ok”) we decided to stop on the way at some vineyards. First one we chose was Esk River – it used to be Linden where Sue’s brother worked – but it was closed, found out later it is in receivership! Not a good start to our vineyard tours!!! By this time we were getting a tad peckish as well so found the ONLY place that sold food on this road on the way back to Napier – Whitebay Lavender. Yummmmmm. Left there at 2:40pm and continued back to Napier and stopped at Crab Farm in Bay View.

Great guy to talk to in the Cellar. So we brought! Well I got a Reserve Chardonnay and 2 tasting glasses. Rex brought a t-shirt, 2 tasting glasses and a case of “cleanskin” – a red that is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Shiraz. Rather nice!

Our Story: History of Crab Farm Vineyards

When winemaker Hamish Jardine’s great grandfather first acquired land at Bay View, as settlement of a debt for a headstone way back when, he was alarmed to find that his new acquisition was covered with tidal water, rushes and hundreds of crabs!

The family jokingly called it “Crab Farm”.

However, the great Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931 lifted the land at Crab Farm above sea level, creating the site of the present day vineyard and winery.

In 1987 an implement shed was converted into a small vertical-timbered winery.

Then about 1981 they put down vines and really there was no choice but to call it Crab Farm. The vineyard adjoining the winery nestles on 12.5 hectares of free draining shingle and silt soils and benefits from cool sea breezes.

Then decided we’d better head to Mountain Valley so back up the road, oops, BILITY turned into Esk Valley Vineyard. Did sample here but didn’t like any of their wines so didn’t buy a thing – see we can go to a vineyard and not purchase! Another couple were there that seemed to “know it all” – the guy working for the day and therefore having to listen to these people looked bored.

Back in BILITY for the drive to Mountain Valley Campsite. This actually ended up being a lot further down the Napier-Taupo road than we expected. We ended up going over the killer hills on this road – the last one being the bridge that crosses the Mohaka River. BILITY overheated so the heater was on and the windows were down and Rex was stressed.

We then turned off the main road at the signed road for Mountain Valley Campsite. The sign at the main road says “5 minutes” then 1 km or so down the road (well not so much a road – it’s gravel and it’s narrow and it’s windy and it’s hilly) there is a sign saying “4 kms”… It definitely wasn’t 5 minutes from the main road, it was more like 20 minutes.


The last killer hill is after a one lane bridge with no chance of a run up so we had to do that hill in first gear and BILITY didn’t like that… Rex thought we had blown a head gasket but couldn’t really do anything about it except drive and hope like hell we hadn’t and see what the damage (if any) was when everyone had cooled down. So we checked in and found a site for us. No other campers there but there was a few tents and one of the cabins had people in it. So we parked and plugged in. Then went for a walk along the river. It’s a gorgeous location but WHAT a road in!

View from the road/in out of Mountain Valley.



BILITY views from the Mountain Valley camp site.

The view from BILITY: BILITY plugged in at Mountain Valley:


Cabins and BILITY.



The Mohaka River:




There is even a restaurant here – not one I’d want to go to and then drive home after having had ANY alcohol. The ablution blocks were OK – roomy enough but not quite there. Luke warm dribbly shower but Rex and I figured that might have been due to the 3 or 4 small chicky-babes that had had showers just before I did as he said his was lovely and hot and lots of pressure. Mind you the sign outside the female one saying “Keep door closed as we have problems with bugs” really really made my day! (Got to wonder though why the rubbish bins are outside the door here, bit odd as it must add to the bug problem.)

We sampled one of the bottles of red from Crab Farm – very very quaffable. Just might have to go back and get a case for me ;-) Cooked dinner in the camper this time round (no kitchen anyway) – pasta and meat sauce I think from memory.

We decided after dinner to get a hot coffee from the restaurant – hey, there’s a restaurant out here in the back of beyond, got to give it a go! So off we went – of course our luck, I decided I’d have a hot chocolate as coffee wouldn’t be a good idea at 9pm but they’d forgotten to get chocolate powder on the trip into town, oh shame, had a wine instead, how sad is that!!! The restaurant has only been “open” for 2 weeks or something and generally has a pre-set menu. They were having a New Years Eve function but were not open tonight as there hadn’t been any bookings. Apparently this place used to be a nudist colony. A previous owner had also owned a house removals company so had used that to get houses moved on to the property. The new owners (English couple) were building the place up as somewhere people could do horse trekking and river rafting – more of an adventure type retreat.


Links

East Cape and Feilding index page

BILITY home page

Crab Farm Winery