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Oct 19
Thu

A beautiful campground at Maitai Bay on Karikari Peninsula

Getting awake at Coopers Beach. It's cloudy again. I walk on the beach which has gotten much wider with low tide. I walk both directions, take photos and collect some shells. There's a swarm of little Silvereyes and Bar-tailed Godwits in the pohutukawa tree tops. Meanwhile Ralph is talking to a gardener who works here and is content with both job and money. The gardener raves about the soon blooming christmas trees and tells us that it's going to be very hot here in a few weeks.

Coopers Beach Morning at Coopers Beach · more Doubtless Bay pictures more pictures

I hardly want to leave this place, but we head for Matai Bay, a twin bay on Karikari Peninsula which borders Doubtless Bay in the north (SH10 then Inland Rd). Right at the bay there's a large green DOC campsite . The fee is $8 pp. One simply puts it into an envelope, throws it into a box at the entry and fixes a note at the car. There's no bureau on most of the DOC campgrounds. The site is basic, there's no power or hot water but we don't mind. We like it at once and park on a juicy meadow with shrubs and trees all around. Except our van there's only a giant Bedford bus.

At once we are welcomed by a boy on a bike who wants to know if there are children with us. As we have no children, we come in favour of admiring Harry's secret place and some tricks with the bike.

Karikari Peninsula – Maitai Bay Harry at the camping site · more Karikari Peninsula pictures more pictures

Then we explore Matai Bay which is said to be the most beautiful bay on Karikari. We have no doubt about that. White pulvery sand, rocks, little islands and headlands and all over that this special light which is so intensive! Similar to he weather the conditions of illumination are changig all the time.

The evening light and the sunset are fabulous. While photographing I get to know Ted, our neighbour from the Bedford bus, and a woman from Mönchengladbach (Germany). She's been travelling and living in her car since 3 months and she's a little envious of us about we've already seen some dolphins (and she has not, so far). Ted is a freelance writer with a good sense of humour. He's been living in the bus with his wife Sally and the boy Harry since they sold their house on the South Island a few years ago. Now they are moving people and they don't miss anything.

Karikari Peninsula – Maitai Bay Sunset at Maitay Bay · more Karikari Peninsula pictures more pictures

In this night we admire heaven's tent so lucid and with constellations we don't see at home.

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