Today we ventured to an island called Urupukapuka. Say that ten times fast!
It's the largest island in the Bay of Islands. We popped over from Pihai, a 45-minute ferry ride away. We sound like a broken record, but based on the relatively little research we had done prior, we knew little of what to expect (other than the island makes for a nice day trip in Bay of Islands).
We were dropped off in Otehei Bay, armed with a map from the ferry. We had about four hours to explore on our own. Ideally we would have spent the whole day on the island, but we had grocery shopping + a drive ahead of us before meeting up with friends. The predator-free, bird-abundant island is covered with walking trails. Based on a brief chat with one of the ferry workers, we decided to check out the Urupukapuka Island Walk towards Urupukapuka Bay. We were immediately struck by the stunning island views. Literally jaw-dropping views all around, with grazing sheep dotted around to up the charm factor :)
The girls were full of giddy energy, so we left them at a big tree to climb to their heart's content, while me & Doug carried on for another 30/45 mins of insanely beautiful hiking.
Urupukaka Campsite
Rejoined with the girls, we carried on together & dropped down into Urupukapuka Bay where one of the island's two DOC (Department of Conversation) campsites is located.
We were immediately stuck that such a gorgeous setting has been allocated as camping land (as opposed to being gobbled up for serious money-generating retail & commercial spaces). So cool. We wandered around and were blown away by the elaborate tent set-ups people had . . . ginormous tents, common spaces, lounge areas, stand-up solar-heated showers, you name it! Really impressive tent city. These folks were clearly experienced in making maximum enjoyment camping spaces. We unanimously said we wished we could have stayed for a few days. To wake up to that view, have the days to explore the islands' walking trails and coves, swim in its sheltered beaches, hit up the little restaurant/cafe by the dock, watch the sun set/rise would be just amazing.
After a picnic lunch and a swim in the water we headed back to the dock for our return ferry.
Urupukaka is absolutely on our short list of our NZ "must do" (again) list. This country is one incredibly beautiful, special and accessible spot after another!!
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