Tapotupotu Bay - the view from the tent

Tapotupotu Bay from the tent

Tapotupotu Bay in the far North - the view from the tent - March 1999 We then went on a DOC camp site only a few kilometers along the coast at Tapotupotu Bay. It has a busy picnic area visited by some of the coaches on a small but beautiful shelter beach with good swimming. There is a small camp site at the end of the beach and we found there was one site up the hill on the right immediately after the entry which has Stunning views out over the bay. We are thinking of staying another day and try our hand off the rocks at the end as 2 kilogram bags of our bait (pilchards) has now thawed and we are not sure how successful our efforts at salting it have been. We were told that salting is a good idea as it not only preserves the bait but makes it firmer so it stays on the hook longer. We did not get round to fishing the first day - we just swam (or Pete did) and sat looking at the view assisted by a bottle of Lindauer Brut and very rigid avocado. Pete has not helped the veg and fruit crisis by a bargain sack of oranges for only $5 so we also have to consume 4 or 5 a day to get through them in the next few weeks.

As dusk fell we discovered another of the delights of the Bay - mosquitoes, small with a fairly minor bite but irritating when they are in large numbers. Nothing is perfect and any irritations with the bites was rapidly dispelled the following morning as we watched a large pod of dolphins cross slowly past the bay, leaping, twisting somersaulting many times their length out of the water, there were even some tail first dives - Tapotupotu Bay was sold for another day.

We explored the rock platforms, tried a little fishing of the rocks without a lot of success, Pete hooked one big one but it eventually managed to get into the rocks and kelp and escaped whilst Pauline caught one Kawahai too small too cook and something we did not identify which was even smaller. Whilst we were fishing and losing our tackle in the foul ground a local came by and advised us to go to the other end and fish in the breaking water over the kelp without any weights. We continued a bit longer in the same place casting the whole Pilchards which had turned lovely and rigid after their salting - we lost less tackle but caught nothing more. The evening was lovely and mild and Peter explored the swimming holes in the stream - glorious and warm in the setting sun and with the incoming tide one could just lie in the water and drift upstream under the overhanging Pohutakawa.