Leath & Sandspit

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Sat 31 Jan 2015 04:17
36:23.974S 174:39.815E
Tuesday 27 January

We were due at Sandspit in the evening and the Lonely Planet informed us that a stop at Leath would be beneficial. We were promised a good cafe/restaurant with its own brewery, a little fishing harbour and a good swimming beach. What more could we want.
First stop was the Sawmill Cafe. This was rather like the Mussell Inn on the South Island; it had visiting bands, good food and its own beer.

the harbour was small but agin had excellent boat launching facilities——it appears that a large percentage of NZs have their own aluminium boats and trailers which are towed from their homes and launched all over NZ at these wonderful launching facilities—not only launching facilities but also car and trailer storage whist they are playing on the water!
a trip to the beach for a swim
and the off to Sandpit where we inspected the local wharf where a new marina was being built
and where the boats go to visit the off-lying island of Kawau where they are trying to control the possums, wallabies, stoats and rats (the black Norwegian rat !!) which had all been introduced by Sir George Grey. In hindsight he, or his ancestors, probably  regretted this.
and then as the clock struck six we drove up onto the hill above Sandspit where Richard and Marcia Butcher live. They are friends of the Myers in Flushing and spend half the year in the UK and the other half in NZ——rather a good arrangement as they hardly ever see winter!! We had been asked to stay for the night and staying in the Mighty was not on the agenda——unless we wanted to sleep on a twenty degree slope! A walk around bed, hot and cold water, and electricity was too much for Helen to turn down and the Mighty was deserted after 51 nights! Marcia was insistent that Helen had a bath—did it look/smell as though she needed one or was it because she wanted Helen to experience the “bath with a view”? !!  It was of course the latter and this was the view

We were treated to a delicious supper and a very restful night and left the following morning at about 10 am bound for Auckland on the last part of our NZ tour.