Cape Palliser

It was a really hot day when we decided to drive out to Cape Palliser. On the way, we passed through a small township on the coast—Ngawi.

This is where old bulldozers enjoy their retirement—towing boats to and from the sea.

A little further on, and . . . seals! There were about ten NZ fur seals, most of them just sleeping in the sun.

This one apparently had an itch it couldn't quite reach!

And this one had just come out from a cooling dip in the sea.

Eventually, we reached the Cape Palliser lighthouse, which is really the end of the road. Cape Palliser is the southernmost point of the North Island. It is even further south than Nelson or Blenheim in the South Island.

Contemplating the lighthouse. All those steps! 253 of them.

Fortunately, the steps were nice and deep, and each one was not too high, which made the climb a little easier.

Almost there . . .

And finally, at the top. I think I must have lost a bit of fitness over the past few weeks—I had to sit in the shade for a while to catch my breath! It wasn't quite as long a climb as up to the East Cape Lighthouse, but it still got the heart pounding. Maybe I could blame the heat. I was wishing I'd brought my water bottle.

The lighthouse was built in 1897 and it's 18 metres high.

At the top, the view back down the way we'd come . . .

. . . and on the other side, the car park and the end of the road.

Time to go back down again.

I took some photos of the road on the way back to Ngawi. It was unsealed and narrow in places

Then we noticed this amazing rock formation. The layers of rock jut right up into the sky.

This photo below (the same as earlier—this time look at the rocks and not the seals) shows the left side of the road—left of this huge rock formation above. The hills on the far left of the photos above are the same hills to the right of the photo below. It seems to be a ridge that comes out of the sea (the campers are parked on it) and then up to the sky. The road drives right over it.

More narrow roads . . .

. . . and then a sharp corner with water running over the road.

We took a detour to visit Lake Ferry on the way back to the rig. Lake Ferry is not an actual lake, but a small village on the shores of Lake Onoke.

Lake Onoke opens out into Palliser Bay.

We'd heard the fish and chips here at the Lake Ferry Hotel were legendary, but there was a classic car club event and lots of hungry people. The line to get into the hotel was barely moving, so we decided to move on to Martinborough.

The cars at Lake Ferry were fabulous. A huge variety and obviously much loved.

While heading towards Martinborough looking for lunch, when we came across this lovely old church.

Martinborough Hotel . . . and a delicious lunch. It was 31 degrees, and even in the shade it felt hot.

I forced myself out into the heat and across the road to get this shot of the hotel. Isn't it beautiful?

If you cannot see "Post a Comment" below, click here (and scroll down to the bottom of the post) to talk to me!