Rotoroa

On Saturday I took a ferry to the island of Rotoroa. I had a Groupon voucher, so instead of costing $49 it was $25. An absolute bargain for a 75min ferry journey through a very scenic Hauraki Gulf. The weather was lovely, very sunny, but a cooling wind. I was still wandering around in t-shirt and jeans though, while everyone else was in thick jackets and a scarves!

The island itself used to belong to the Salvation Army who ran a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, and took in voluntary and involuntary committals. Apparently there were over 12,000 patients admitted to the centre. In 2005, the facility was closed with many of the buildings already demolished. I did get a snap of the old jail cells though where they used to house the 'uncooperative' inhabitants. They were really small, probably a little smaller than a disabled toilet cubicle!

After exploring the buildings that were left and the small visitor centre I decided to do a tour of the island. It's quite small and undulating, but you could walk from one end to the other in a few hours as the crow flies. The main draw of the island was the stunning views, closely followed by the lovely beaches. There were little bays on either side of the island which was good, because you can always get shelter from the wind. You just need to choose your side carefully!

I started by walking to the south side of the island and looking over the 'Ruthe (a silent 'e') Passage' which runs between Rotoroa and Ponui Island. I felt it was a good place to stop and have a couple of biscuits too!

After a brief break I moved on towards the east of the island to try and find some of the beaches listed on the map. On my way I spotted a thistle, which was great.... a little bit of Scotland in New Zealand. Consequently, I took a picture of it!

After getting a little over-excited about the thistle, I climbed up to the 'South Tower Lookout'. There isn't really a tower there, more of a radio mast really, but the views were sensational! The first picture shows the wharf where the ferry docked and one of the bays where the island's inhabitants used to swim. You can also see Waiheke Island in the background. The second picture is of Chamberlains Bay on Ponui Island, with Waiheke Island to the right, and Sunday Rock in the middle. The last picture is of Mens Bay, one of Rotoroa's lovely sandy beaches, and my next stop.

After walking down a steep gravel track to Mens Bay, I decided to take spend an hour or so on the beach. Mens Bay is so named because only the male inhabitants were allowed to swim here. I was slightly disappointed not to see a single man in Mens Bay though :( I walked right along the bay, and picked up some interesting looking shells. I was even considering taking a dip, until I put my toes into the water and realised it was freezing!

Following some much-needed relaxation time I walked on to Ladies Bay, where the female islanders could swim. It wasn't as big as Mens Bay, but had changing facilities, toilets and a very nice 'hole in the rock' formation. 

After completing my tour of the east side of the island, I began on the North of the Island and walked up to the 'North Tower'. Again, it was just a radio mast, but the views were stunning! The first picture is of the south of Rotoroa with Ponui Island in the background, and the Coromandel at the very back. The second shows the Coromandel Peninsula (I also have a cheap ferry ticket for here), and the third is of Cable Bay (bottom right) with Man O War Bay on Waiheke Island in the background.

I then walked down to Cable Bay for my lunch break (despite having eaten half of it already!), and a spot of sunbathing. It was very sheltered, and there wasn't another soul on the beach. There was a boat anchored in the bay, but that was it. I stayed here for an hour or so, did some skimming of stones, and then moved on.

After lunch I moved on to my final destination of Mai Mai Bay, just around the corner from Cable Bay. I was considering just walking on the rocks around the corner, but decided to take the long route of climbing all the way back up the hill, and then down again into Mai Mai Bay. I didn't get to spend long at Mai Mai, as the ferry was due to leave shortly. It was quite a small beach, but again, lovely and sandy and looked good for a swim.

After Mai Mai, I began my walk back down to the wharf. I passed a small pond, and found a male and female Paradise Duck which are apparently only found in New Zealand, so I was pretty pleased with myself :)

The ferry arrived at about 5pm and we travelled back to Auckland. I sat outside on the deck of the ferry, but by this point had decided on a jacket and scarf too. It was really nice to watch the sunset though, and see the Sky Tower lit up in purple. I was absolutely shattered, so had a bite to eat, a chat with mum on Skype, and then fell straight asleep. Back to the real life today - washing, cleaning and working :(