Tinopai

After the purchase of a good-sized bag of kumera from the roadside for a bargain price of $5 and a coffee stop by the river at Ruawai where the tide was in making the expansive river look like it might spill over the floodbanks at any time we followed the sealed road out to the harbourside village of Tinopai on Komiti Bay which is part of the Hukatere Peninsula.

The proud bargain hunter!

There is a permanent population of about 400 in Tinopai, this number swelling to about 1000 over the summer months as there are lots of holiday homes, a dairy and a community camp ground on the water's edge which is where we stayed for 2 nights. It's a lovely little spot and the sun was shining when we arrived but very soon it became rather inclement with cold winds and lots of showers between brief periods of showers.

Our $20 per night possie!

Len tried his best with the fishing, suffering the icy blows around the wharf and losing quite a lot of gear with his line being snagged, soon after we arrived on Tuesday. Yesterday he cast his line out close to our campground site, coming into shelter when the rain became too miserable. Unfortunately the freshly bought bait attracted no more than a little bait fish and even his invention bait of cabbage-wrapped carrot to attract the vege loving parore was unsuccessful! So all in all the fishing from the shores of the Kaipara Harbour has been rather sad. Ninety Mile Beach and Houhora Heads were the best spots but I'm sure we'll find some more. I think I'm becoming a fishless widow so maybe it's time to play golf again!

Good morning Tinopai!

We had a great little parking spot right by the water though with nice views and I was able to have free range in the small kitchen, making pumpkin soup, roasting some pumpkin for a vege curry and making some scones. The electric oven does a better job than our gas oven as well as making our gas bottle last longer! There was only one other occupant at the camp - Darcy, who has been in his caravan there for about 8 months. Tomorrow he leaves for Tauranga Bay, where we also stayed when we were further north, to join up with Ross, who we were parked next to there, and some other fishing mates. It is a small world on the road! Darcy joined us for Happy Hour last night and was easy company.