Route 45

I was recommended the visit to Pukeitil Gardens and Rainforest. It was certainly a fabulous start to the day, although the road there was pretty scary, with kilometres of extremely narrow roads with blind corners. The final ten kilometres were through Pukeiti scenic reserve, an area of dense bush and rainforest, but I certainly could not fully appreciate it! 

However, once arrived, I could really relax and take in the beauty and diversity of these massive Gardens. Like Pukekura, you could spend an entire day there as there are so many different walks to do. A gardener, one of only four to look after the extensive grounds, suggested my doing the Rhododendron walk and Burns walk, both absolutely gorgeous. To make things even more special, I was alone for the first hour. There were so many native birds and I am also sure I heard a kiwi in an area of swampy, dense bush. They do live there and it is possible that early morning in the darkness of the bush they were still out and about. 

            

What a great start to the day. A cuppa in the Rainforest cafe overlooking these prestigious grounds was 'the icing on the cake'.

I have to admit that I was happy to leave the tiny, winding roads of the reserve and get out onto route 45. It is a decent road with not too much traffic on it, though I did find that locals tend to be in a hurry so I simply let them pass.

What a fantastic route this is, taking in a lot of rather quirky wee villages/towns/hamlets. The first, and certainly my favourite, was Opunake. Here the locals have a great community spirit and have created the most amazing corner of colour and happiness with their gaden plantings, sculptures and 'yarn bombs' (knitting). It is not only scenically beautiful, but it makes you smile as you take the short walk through the Clifftop Garden overlooking Opunake Beach. 

 Opunake Community garden also is home to a tiny  community library hidden in the beautifully painted letter boxes. Fantastic.

    

Opunake beach with its sandy beach and pretty yellow flowers made the perfect lunch spot.

Opunake was a town of yarn bombs as bike covers, car covers, decorations, interesting colourful artists' studios and cafes. I loved the name The Arty Tarty cafe. This artitst studio was particularly lovely with one wall made up entirely of different coloured doors. It was stunning.

Travelling alone has some real advantages in that you can make split second decisions, as I did to visit Sanderson Garden in Kaupokonui. I am thrilled  that I did, as it proved to be one of the most attractive of the day. It seemed to have everything, featuring a garden full of colour and fragrance, beautiful birdsong, sculptures and soft furnishings. Lovely.

   

Just down the road at Manaia was another spectacular garden, Oakley Garden. The owner is famous for her sumptuous hanging baskets. There were also bird feeders galore dangling off every available branch it seemed, and, as a result, there was no shortage of birdlife. 

It was certainly the best garden I visited in the two days. It had such clever features like these moas made of two hanging baskets joined together to form one emu body. The hanging baskets on the top of pillars is a new idea .

  

It was a marvelous day with such incredible gardens. My final visit was to Hollard's garden, a free visit to another massive property with acres of mature trees and rhododendrons. There were some truly gigantic plants, a mass of blooms and fabulous fragrances. Although none of the gardens were too busy, I was completely alone in this one. Very special.

It was getting late but I really wanted to see the beautiful Te Rewa Rewa  bridge with its 70 m span for cycle and pedestrians, providing a link to the coastal walkway. Wow, what a beautiful structure it is. I really hope that maybe tomorrow Mt Taranaki will be clear and the iconic photo can be taken. 

What a marvelous day I have had, from the start at Pukeiti to this fabulous bridge by the coast.