VictoriaApril 24
We woke up and went for a walk along the boardwalk in Mangonui. There was an awesome reflection of the sky off the bay, so we quickly captured a few shots.
We stopped for breakfast at Jesse’s Cafe, walked back to the RV and drove up the road five minutes to the most amazing beach. We realized that we need to do more of this on our travels.
A whole lot of nothing, on a beautiful beach like the one we’re at today: Coopers Beach in Doubtless Bay.
It’s named for coopers who, back in the day, built and repaired barrels used to store water and whale oil.
There was barely anyone on the beach except a few people and some dogs happily playing in the surf. We stayed for a luxurious few hours then went up the road to check out Cable Bay.
The name comes from the Pacific Cable station which was a terminus of a telegraph cable running between NZ and British Columbia as part of the All Red Line. The station was established in 1902 and operated until the terminus was moved to Auckland in 1912.
We thought we were going to stay at Matai Bay campsite tonight because many locals gave it the thumbs up. We drove 30 minutes north around Doubtless Bay and arrived to a locked office. There was an honor system box where you pay and then pick your spot. We drove around the upper and lower lots and decided not to stay. NZ drop toilets and cold showers chased us away, plus none of the areas were level so sleeping on a slant didn’t sound all that exciting.
We got back in the RV and retraced our steps exactly the way we came, passing Cable Bay and Coopers Beach, and landing at Taupo Bay holiday park an hour later. We found our spot away from the big groups and went to make dinner in the communal kitchen.
After dinner we washed up and I went to take a shower in the communal unisex bathroom. Won’t this be fun.
On the CamperMate App (a wonderful resource by the way), a previous guest said the showers were free for the first four minutes, then $2 for every additional four minutes. Figuring I needed more time to wash and condition my hair and also shave my legs, I brought a $2 coin with me, looking forward to a hot eight minute shower in something larger than a phone booth (looking at you Harmony).
I turned on the water and nothing happened. Hmmm. Maybe this shower isn’t working I thought. I wrapped up in a towel, grabbed all my stuff and went to the next stall. Same thing. That review must’ve been written a while ago. It now costs $2 for four minutes, no free shower. Shit. I had to make a choice as I only brought one coin. Wash and condition my hair or shave my legs? I couldn’t afford to do both. I dropped my money in the slot and turned on the water: trickle trickle. I could spit harder than that pressure. I abandoned both the hair washing AND the shaving and did what I could to rinse off just as the water turned cold and then off.
I have come to feel like an overgrown camper at these holiday parks, showering in communal bathrooms with waning pressure and tepid water next to total strangers.
Mitch waited for my safe return. He heard the story and turned on our hot water heater and showered in the RV being careful not to turn sideways for fear of face planting on the toilet floor.
