Opunake

Opunake is a small town in south Taranaki settled in 1880 intended to be a major port. This never got past jetty a small, with the coast being very exposed offering no shelter to the ships. There is only the piles remaining today. It is even very challenging getting trailer boats launched and retrieved if there is a bit of a swell. Today there is a population of about 1300 who service the surrounding dairy and sheep farms. There are several cafes and a restaurant where travelers can stop food and drinks while traveling around Mount Taranaki or make it a destination and stay at the hotels,beach motor camp or backpackers lodge. There is a safe beach for swimming when the surf is down and just around the point a second beach at Middleton Bay offers deeper water for beach fishing. We spent five weeks there while Margie was managing the Cottage Rest Home for the elderly, this used to be the local hospital and many of the residents were either born there or had their children there. For us we rented a house and had a very relaxing time with exceptional weather a great beach and some good books to read and coffee shops close by. Sugar Juice on the main Rd and Headlands in Fox St are the best places to imbibe in such delicacies. I commuted back to New Plymouth for my work and car pooled with work colleagues who lived there also. The journey is about 45Kms and quite interesting seeing the country coming alive with cows waiting to be milked,the sun rising over Mt Taranaki to the east and the smells of the land warming up. Google Opunake to see more history on Wikipedia. Amazon have power and garden tools tools on sale for all the work that can now be done with spring and summer coming along. Check for them at http://handpowertool.com