Bay of Plenty, Eastland Section of Pacific Coast Highway; Rotorua to Whakatane to the East Cape
We left Rotorua in our Ford rental for a 3 day jaunt up the Eastland section of the Pacific Coast Highway on the North Island. We spent part of a day driving up the west side of the East Cape; an isolated Maori region. There are very few towns, but unbeatable scenery. Before we headed up there, we found a delightful beach town with a beautiful ocean golf course! So, we cut our "around the East Cape" trip short, turned around after a 2 hr. drive and went back to Ohope.
Julie and Bob golfed 18 holes. I walked the beach for 2 hrs. and then walked the last 9 holes with them. Awesome views and spectacular scenery kept us "happy campers" for several hours. Plus, we felt better getting out and having some exercise while enjoying the vistas. At an unbelievable price of $35.00NZ for 18 holes of golf, Julie and Bob thought that they had died and gone to heaven. On the 13 hole, a car drove up! It was the golf pro. It was 6pm and he was going home. He wondered if we could please put Julie's rental clubs in the restroom and lock the door behind us when we left. The sign you see is at the exit to the golf course!
The Pohutukawa tree is New Zealand's Christmas tree. We saw several of them at the golf course, in the Ohope Scenic Reserve and along the Ohope Beach.
