A Resurgence and a Rock

Wednesday 7 January

A glorious day dawned so it was only right to make the most of it.

Morning trip across the hills to the Riuwaka Resurgence near the base of Tākaka Hill.

This is a tapu or sacred spot where the waters that percolate though the limestone caves of the hills come out into the open air and the feed the Riwaka River which runs to the sea near Kaiteriteri. We weren’t the only ones there. We advised the lads who showed up behind us that it was tapu and shouldn’t be swum in… I suspect they waited until we’d left and then jumped in anyway! I got the giggles about the young woman who was there at the same time - fluro top and turquoise ra-ra skirt... the 80s called, they want their outfit back!

The colour & clarity of the water is stunning, but, as Louis found as he jumped into the swimming hole further down the river, it’s absolutely freezing! He swore loudly and declared it the coldest water he had ever been in!

Lunch back at Banjo (another Deborah friendly salad for me) and a visit from the weka, then we set off to Split Apple Rock - a geological wonder of a large round apple shaped rock, cleft cleanly in two. Tide was nearly in as we passed Otūwhero Inlet and turned up to the small hamlet above the Split Apple Rock beach.

By NZ standards it was busy as, so we parked miles away and staggered up the road and down the hill to the beach.

Louis dashed into the water and swam out to the rock while I settled in and did an awkward togs change under my lovely pink poncho before striking out breast stroke style to join him. For scale - in the photo after him heading into the sea, you can just see him by the rocks below the big split rock... it positively dwarfs him!

It was lovely and warm and we shared the beach with many other holidaymakers, several shoals of fish and a basking sting ray!

The climb back up was less tiring than expected and we returned to Banjo for BBQ pork chops for dinner before I got my Fitbit steps target walking up and down the driveway to our campsite as the sun set.