Friday 15th November after our arrival back from Sydney and a couple of nights staying at the Mount Camp we headed up the inner harbour again in Debussy this time stopping at Fairview Golf Club for a round of golf on the quiet course which we have only played on once before but is one of my favourites as it is where I got my best 18 hole score ever and it was playing in a tournament. I did quite well again this time too considering I am a little rusty! We especially enjoy the first 9 holes of this course with its undulations, water features and an increasing number of houses overlooking the fairways. We do wonder who designed the back nine though as it is rather boring with not much of interest - perhaps they'll work on some improvements there at some stage.
Nick, the excellent golf pro there, who used to be at Omanu and whom I had had some lessons from way back, was happy for us to stay overnight in the car park which was handy as it was getting towards dark by the time we finished our round.
On Saturday morning we once again admired the murals in Katikati before meandering along the Yeoman Walkway, a gem of a bird walk alongside the Uretara Estuary. This is a fantastic tranquil area of river, saltmarsh and estuary so close to the town and with lots of varied bird life and interesting sculptures, the locals having put in a lot of hours developing and landscaping it. We did a circular route coming back to Debussy via the roads - from memory I think it took us nearly a couple of hours although the estuary walk itself is described as 45 minutes. It is worth taking a trip out fromTauranga, or beyond, to experience it.
We spent the night in the car park / boat launching area at Tanners Point, a pretty little spot with very vocal birdlife, where up to 3 vehicles are allowed to stay overnight though we were the only ones there. After arriving, and Len wishing he had brought some bait so he could have fished off the wharf, we walked around the picturesque estuary walking track which has been developed by some hard working locals one of whom, Heather ( a fellow NZMCA member), we got talking to in front of her house. It wasn't long before she invited us to join her for a cuppa on her deck which we graciously accepted as we had worked up a thirst by then as well as it being good to talk to one of the locals.
Coming home on the Sunday we had a brief stop at Kauri Point where there is a very very long wharf which could be good for fishing off into the channel. Then of course there was the compulsory stop for the delicious local oranges and avocados from the roadside stalls!
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