Memory Lane

After our epic adventures in Patuna Chasm, Jayne, Ian, Andy and I headed toward the coast. We wanted to show them one of our favorite places, Castlepoint. It was even more special since it was our first trip back since we got engaged there in September. We couldn’t stay at our favorite dog-friendly bach, as it only sleeps two, so we found another spot not far away.

Since we were pretty tired out from our adventurous day and the drive to Castlepoint, we had a low key first evening in, with a wander along the beach and some pizza for dinner, followed by games.

The next morning, we were up bright and early, ready to visit Castle Rock and the lighthouse.

We were really lucky with some stunning late summer weather, with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. (Man, as I write this, summer seems like ages ago!)

Our first stop was Castle Rock. Although we didn’t plan to go all the way to the top, we wanted to show Jayne and Ian the scene of our proposal, or at least point from a distance!

Since we only have selfies from the big day (Higgs is a useless photographer), I asked Jayne and Ian to get a couple of us in front of Castle Rock.

We couldn’t leave Higgs out of the fun.

If you look waaay above our heads, that’s the spot where Andy popped the question. 🙂

I scrambled off to take full advantage of the view, and the UK paparazzi managed to catch me. I like how the photo came out, with the grass blowing in the wind and me in my element, exploring a new track.

I’ll never get sick of the amazing view of the endless Wairarapa coastline.

We headed downhill toward Deliverance Cove, planning to meander along the beach to the lighthouse. As soon as we hit the sand, a certain doggo jumped right in the ocean. Can you blame him? Look at this inviting cove!

The water temperature was certainly fit for someone Swedish, a bit cold for my taste. Maybe Andy has some Nordic blood in his veins…

We had the beach mostly to ourselves, and devoid of color, the smooth sand and jagged rocks seem like a lunar landscape. One small step for man, one giant leap for doggo-kind.

Castlepoint Lighthouse served as our beacon, as we trekked closer.

As we climbed the path up to the light, we were treated to a brief dolphin show. They leapt and played in the bay, before disappearing out of view. You can just make out some splashes in this photo.

I have so many photos of this spot, but I can never help capturing new angles.

The “town” of Castlepoint can be seen hugging the coast, surrounded by Castlepoint Station, the massive farm taking up a huge chunk of the wider area.

What’s this, another view of the lighthouse?

The rocky promontory which the lighthouse clings to shows the true erosive power of the sea, and what beauty time and weather can sculpt.

After stopping for some popsicles (“ice lollies” in Kiwi speak) to cool off, we headed back to our bach for lunch. In the afternoon, we took a dip in the sea in a surprisingly warm pocket where the water was shallow enough to hold the heat. Higgs played with Charlie, the cheeky schnauzer who lived next door to our house.

See Charlie eyeing Higgsy’s bone? Yup, he stole it and disappeared shortly after, no doubt to stash it somewhere on his own property. Luckily Higgs is a forgiving chap, and they resumed their game of crazy chase and tussle shortly after.

That evening, a full moon illuminated the sea, with the coastal hills just barely visible as looming black shapes against the sky. Even with the bright moon, the stars overhead were incredible, though hard to capture on camera.

On our last morning, we awoke to yet another gorgeous day. Higgs and I had to get out and enjoy the sunshine.

We had enough time for a beach walk to pick up some cool rocks for our garden. Back at the house, I had to capture the view from Jayne & Ian’s balcony on the top floor.

It was such a beautiful spot. I love this stretch of beach since you can sit on your porch and look straight out at the ocean, with hardly a soul in sight. Since it’s outside of the main part of Castlepoint, it’s much quieter too – the ultimate peaceful getaway.

Here’s our angular house rom the path leading straight to the beach.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye. Jayne and Ian were off to Napier and further afield on their North Island road trip, while Andy and I had to head back to the real world in Wellington. See you next time, Charlie!

A big thanks to Jayne and Ian for coming to visit. We had such a great time having family around, seeing beautiful places, eating loads of good food and playing hours of games. They even took me out to a fabulous Greek dinner before they flew out of Welly. Opa!

Stay tuned for Andy and my Easter adventures on Waiheke Island!