Wainui Bay + Toto's Cafe

Sunday was a picture book kind of day, ideal for taking the paved roads toward Abel Tasman National Park, to the south and east.

Near Pohara there are some beautiful beaches (trouble viewing click here).

Wainui Bay, heading east toward Abel Tasman.

We're inland now when we see a sign for Toto's Cafe. With nary a speck of anything commercial around here, it's an enticing idea.

The road toward Toto's, gravel, but apparently well-tended gravel. Still without a spare, we took it carefully.

The road got progressively narrower and switched back and forth as we climbed to a small parking area, with a narrow path upward.

Wainui Bay in the distance.

This little map shows the gravel road that zigs and zags up to Toto's.

Completed just two years ago, Toto's is built from clay and straw from the hillside, a method called cob construction. It's quite pleasing and feels so unlikely.

 

The owner fires up a pizza

Both the views and the coffee were delightful.

On our return, colors intensified.

 We stopped at Pohara Harbor to check out the boats. Here's a familiar name.

Our new tire arrived Monday, on a truck filled with food to supply the Fresh Choice grocery and all manner of other stuff people need from "over the hill," the wild ride that most people here don't do without a good reason.

Hooray--now we can drive all those gravel roads we've (sort of) been avoiding 

Time for a celebratory flat white.

In Takaka, the main town in Golden Bay, these guys are grafitti-proofing a lovely Maori-designed archway that will lead to a new conflict memorial. This man was telling us what the symbols signify, and I mainly remember that the NSEW points symbolize hammerhead sharks. The poppy motif you know.

On the ride home, a roadside stand beckoned, with fresh eggs, herbs, garlic, walnuts, and used books, enough right there to make it a good day.