At the recommendation of Andrew & Erika we detoured to Castlepoint on our way south along the East Coast of the North Island (ultimately headed back to Wellington to catch our ferry to the South Island). Andrew told is it was one of his favorite spots, and that carried alot of weight in our minds. Boy, are we glad we stopped! Our preference is always to get off-the-beaten path in our travels. How else are you going to catch a glimpse of everyday, authentic life? Castlepoint felt authentically Kiwi and ended up being one of our very favorite spots within all of NZ to date!
Holiday Park
We opted to stay in a cabin at the Castlepoint Holiday Park. Normally we'd chose to pitch a tent, but Andrew had warned us that Castlepoint is one of the windiest spots in NZ. Having looked at the weather report & the forecasted strong gusts, we decided to play it safe indoors. The holiday park land is terraced, which means virtually all of the accommodations on the property enjoy amazing views of the sea and lighthouse.
We learned that some of the units are owned by individuals; they lease the land from the holiday park, pay an annual fee and can stay in their cabins/caravans for max 75 nights/year. This makes for an eclectic vibe. Our cabin reminded me alot of my great grandparents' modest beach house in Surf City, New Jersey. I have strong, fond memories of visiting Mom & Pop there as a young child. Something about the aesthetic of our Castlepoint cabin took me back there and put a smile on my face.
Lighthouse
I'm a huge fan of lighthouses (read Paige's post about our visit to the Nelsen lighthouse here). Castlepoint's iconic lighthouse was another huge draw for me/us. Doing a bit of research we learned there is no large harbor between Napier and Wellington. After a number of wrecks, the government chose to build the navigation light in Castlepoint. It was first lit in 1913, one of the last manned lights to be established in NZ. It was ultimately demanned (fully automated & lighthouse keeper withdrawn) in 1988.
After dumping our stuff in our cabin, we headed straight out to see the lighthouse. We had been warned the weather was due to turn, so our window of time was closing. We started the long walk along the beach and were immediately blasted with ridiculously strong winds & pelted with sand. The winds made for some incredibly beautiful views of swirling sand & churning waters, with the stunning lighthouse in the background.
We pushed on through the wind, at times laughing uncontrollably, at other times doing all we could to shield our eyes from sand & debris. As we made the final ascent to the lighthouse, we could not stop laughing. The wind was incredible!! I was gripping Paige with one hand and the railing with the other, while Doug was gripping Sadie with one hand & his phone with the other to capture it all on film.
The views from the lighthouse were incredible. The wind whipping around us made it all the more enjoyable and memorable!
The walkways (Deliverance Cove) behind the lighthouse were equally breathtaking in their raw beauty.
Goodnight Lighthouse
When I took Sadie down to the restroom one final time before (a very late) bedtime, we were surprised to see that the lighthouse was lit up in color! We stood together, her snuggled in my arms, just taking it all in. And then to our delight, the lighthouse color changed!
Turns out the outside of the lighthouse is lit up from sunset until midnight each night, and there's a colored light show every 15 minutes. Pure magic! A special moment with Sadie I won't soon forget.
Amusingly, on our way back inside Sadie cleverly said "Goodnight lighthouse! Except it won't go to sleep. It's nocturnal!"
Local Pub
When Andrew & Erika recommended Castlepoint, they emphasized that dinner at the local pub was a must-do. Turns out The Whakataki is literally the only eating establishment in town. The pub was nothing fancy, but it was much like we expected & a great window into the local community. Some of these fisherdudes had clearly spent most of their waking hours out at sea or at this local pub.
We introduced the girls to the wonders of an old-school jukebox. They were equal parts perplexed, intrigued and ultimately disinterested. Our $2 got us three tunes. By the time we'd flicked through dozens & dozens of CDs, the girls had lost interest and it was largely up to me & Doug to pick the songs. In the end we went for Maroon 5's Girls Like You (Paige's pick), Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry (my pick) and Kenny Roger's The Gambler (Doug's pick). Such good fun. They also got to play a few games of classic Miss Pacman.
We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the sparsely decorated local pub. Plenty of character baked into the place & its regulars to keep us enjoying ourselves!
Great video wrap-up by Doug:
Traffic Jam
On our way out of Castlepoint we got slammed with traffic. Sheep traffic!! Believe it or not, in our almost 11 months in NZ, that was the very first time we encountered a road jam from sheep! It was totally worth the delay. We inched along and enjoyed watching the sheep corralled by a few dogs and the farmer on an ATV. Classic. A perfect way to bid special Castlepoint, NZ adieu!
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