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Sunday, 10.15am: Safely serving Great Barrier since 1983, says the safety card in this 16-seat baby
plane sitting almost apologetically
on the tarmac at Auckland airport.What happened before then, I wonder.
10.20am: All nerves are sidelined by the view. The city spreads out, and we play count the swimming pools as we skim the wealthy eastern suburbs. In minutes we’re past Waiheke and then it’s nothing but sea till we land at Claris. We fly in over a golden sand beach, the rugged native bush-covered hills a spectacular backdrop. Lost could have been filmed here.
The view of Blind Bay from Bay Lodge Cottage is simply
stunning.
11am: Most people visit the
Barrier in the three weeks after
Christmas, and those in the tourism industry are understandably keen to extend the season. Fiona at GBI
Rent A Car, where we pick up our 4WD, had 70 cars booked
for those three weeks ? the equivalent business to the
quietest six months of the year.
11.30am: About 600 people call
Great Barrier home, and you have to be committed
to live here. Isolation aside
(and that includes limited mobile phone coverage), there is no reticulated power supply, so everyone has to fend for themselves. It’s all generators, solar panels and water tanks. And you must be able to support yourself as the Barrier is one of the areas of New Zealand where the dole is not paid.
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A Barrier Sunset takes the breath away.
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12pm: We’re keen to explore but
first it’s Claris Texas cafe for
lunch. Claris is one of several small settlements on the island and cafe
aside, there’s a store, post office, petrol station (which sells unleaded petrol at $2.11 a litre!), bottle shop and not much more. I have a huge,tasty, homemade mince and cheese pie and he has mussel chowder.We’ve been warned island prices can be steep given obvious supply issues, but all this, plus coffee, is just 20 bucks.
12.30pm: We drive the 20 minutes
to Tryphena at the southern point of the island, passing just a handful
of cars en route. Just as well -
we’re so busy drinking in the
scenery we dawdle along like Grandpa on a Sunday drive. Tryphena, where the ferries dock, has a few more shops than Claris,
and the island’s only pub.
We head back, stopping for a walk
along Medlands Beach. The wind
is up and a lively surf is crashing in.
3pm: We’re staying at the
romantically secluded Bay Lodge Cottage, where access is by 4WD only. It’s on the island’s southwest coast, about 10 minutes from Claris, and is well worth the hair-raising drive in. Walk in the door and you’re whacked over the head with a remarkable view of Blind Bay. I resolve to spend as much time as possible this weekend staring out the window.
5pm: The cottage has access to two beaches - one public, one private. We find the trail in the garden and climb down. It’s steep, butthe owners have done the hard yards by cutting steps into the hillside - I count 167 steps when I puff my way back up. It’s too windy to take the cottage dingy out for a fish today, so we settle for the wine and cheese kindly left in our welcome pack.
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8pm: Considering what’s not on the island (no street lights, or ATM for example) it’s strange finding a Thai restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but Angsana is doing a roaring trade.
Little wonder. The mains are
big, fresh and delicious -
so good I don’t mind paying $29. Though here’s a tip - get takeaways, which, strangely, are half the price. Back at the cottage, the windows are picture frames and the setting sun renders us speechless.
11pm: The. Stars. Are.
Amazing. The Milky Way
is a brilliant splash across the sky. The only other place
I’ve seen the stars like this
is back home in the Mackenzie Country. Lying in bed, I keep pulling the blinds aside to look again.
Monday, 9am: Glorious, glorious sleep in. I’ve been here less than 24 hours but have clicked right into island time.
11am: It’s still too rough for
fishing at our beach, so we pack the car with snorkel gear and head to the eastern beaches. But they’re marginal, so we take a drive to explore Awana Bay and Harataonga Bay. More stunning coastline, and friendly locals. Every driver coming the other way does the island wave - one finger comes off the steering wheel in greeting.
3.30pm: There are plenty of
walking tracks on the island. We choose an easy 35-minute walk through majestic | |
Fact file
Where to stay:
Bay Lodge Cottage,
ph (09) 429-0927,
www.gamesail.co.nz
Where to eat:
Claris Texis Cafe,
129 Hector Sanderson Rd,
ph (09) 429-0811.
Angsana Thai restaurant,
63 Grays Rd, ph (09) 429 0272.
How to get there:
Great Barrier Airlines,
ph (09) 275-9120,
www.greatbarrierairlines.co.nz
How to get around:
GBI Rent A Car,
ph (09) 429-0062,
www.gbirentacar.co.nz
wetlands, to the Kaitoke hot pools.
This spot is apparently popular at
night when lovers walk in with
candles and wine, but as it’s daytime
we have the place to ourselves for
a dip.
8.30pm: Another night, another glorious sunset. More glittering stars.
A girl could get blase.
Tuesday, 9.20am: Great Barrier Airlines has us back in Auckland 20 minutes early and our bags are
handed to us on the tarmac as
we get off. Gotta love island life.
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