Our tour of the East Cape has been really special. In some ways this area is the boondocks of New Zealand, but its remoteness and lack of tourists make it feel more unique, like we’re glimpsing into a real slice of Kiwi life.

Here’s my miscellaneous recap of snapshots from the East Cape.

On our first day of driving I am blown away by the scenery out the bus window. Photos taken from a moving vehicle rarely turn out well and these are no exception, but I feel compelled to share them because the landscape is so stunning.

We hop off the bus to photograph this abandoned bridge.

Random: this picnic set-up reminds me of this set design for a play I saw at the Boston Court Theater in Pasadena a few years ago.

The Matawai Hotel is full of oddities. Like a two-headed lamb that lived for only a few days and has been preserved on a top shelf in the bar for decades.

Regulars have their names inscribed into plaques on the bar. “You have to drink pretty hard for a long time to get your name up here,” the bartender tells us.

“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name…”

…because it’s engraved right onto the bar.

Notice anything out of the ordinary with this door? It threw me for a loop when I first entered.

We stop at an overlook above the city of Gisbourne.

This is Captain James Cook who “discovered” New Zealand the same way Christopher Columbus “discovered” America (the Maori and Indians beg to differ, respectively).

We stop at Sunshine Brewery in Gisbourne and chat with the friendly manager.

And then our bus driver Tim brings us to a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant which serves the best fish ‘n chips on the East Cape. The food is pretty outstanding.

That night Tim takes us to band practice in a warehouse to see some of the locals. It’s loud and I’m out of my element (wow, that makes me sound old) but I’m happy with some of the photographs I take that night. This is also the evening that gay marriage is legalized in New Zealand and a big announcement is happily made as the news breaks.

The next morning we stop at a local Maori church.

Our bus driver points out a noteworthy tree.

We then follow a windy one-lane gravel road to the East Cape Lighthouse.

It’s a short walk to the lighthouse; there are lots and lots of steps.

Another tricky gate crossing. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the gate door swings to allow one person to pass through at a time.

I wasn’t kidding about the steps.

We’ve made it to the top and are rewarded with sweeping views of the East Cape.

Our driver Tim and passenger Matt test out the waves near the lighthouse.

We pass through the small town of Waihau where the New Zealand movie Boy was shot. Kiwis are SO proud of Boy; it’s the highest grossing New Zealand film of all time.

Next we stop at a macadamia farm, but it’s closed on weekdays for the off-season. Luckily our tour guide is on familiar terms with the place and he lets us explore the grounds for a few minutes.

These photos are from mealtime at  Brian’s Place in Tokomaru Bay. Tim whips up a delicious meat and veggie pie for dinner for the group. It has cheese and egg (two foods I avoid) so I heat up some soup and enjoy hummus with veggies on the side.

Scenes from an East Cape marae.

Two of my favorite signs regarding animals:

That’s White Island (an active volcano I mentioned in yesterday’s post) continuing to puff away in the distance.

Tim asks us to write a group poem commemorating our trip and we each contribute a few lines. I make mine a limerick:

“There once was a driver named Tim

Who jumped off a pier to surf and swim

He took us to band practice at night

and showed us the East Cape highlights

Now he goes back to do it all again!”

Thanks for the trip, Tim!