SH35 East Coast summer road trip 2025
View of Koutunui Point on the way to Tokomaru Bay.
The tall fella (better known as Aaron) and I had been talking about doing the SH35 East Coast road trip ever since we first started dating. He was working in retail then and wanted to do it in two days, but that meant we would spend most of the time in the car. What’s the point in that? No thanks. We compromised and made it three days, spending two nights in Te Puia Springs.
From our home in Edgecumbe, it’s just under three hours’ drive to Gisborne via the Waioeka Gorge. Over the three days we clocked about 700km to do the SH35 loop, stopping in Gisborne, Tatapouri, Tolaga Bay, Tokomaru Bay, Te Puia Springs, Waipiro Bay, Tikitiki, Te Araroa, Hicks Bay, Raukokore and Te Kaha.
Chillin’ in my waders and gumboots before the Dive Tatapouri tour.
Dive Tatapouri
Tatapouri is a small town about 15 minutes’ drive from Gisborne on the way to Tolaga Bay. We checked in about an hour before our scheduled tour and watched the current group in the water. The swells weren’t too bad, but it did make the water slightly murky. Each tour includes one-piece waders with gumboots and a walking stick to help keep your balance in the water. Bring socks to wear with the gumboots or borrow some from Dive Tatapouri.
Guests on the Dive Tatapouri tour enjoying time with the stingrays.
The tour is about an hour-long, giving us plenty of time to watch, pat and feed the different stingrays and eagle rays that came near. We were told to stand shoulder-to-shoulder so the rays didn’t swim between our legs and get stuck. At 152cm, the water was thigh height for me and it was sometimes tricky to keep my balance in the swells. The local rays have learned that tour groups mean free food - the guides said it was important to limit the number of tours so that the rays don’t rely on them as their only source of food. The tall fella fed the rays a couple of times for us as his arms are longer - you have to put your hands down to the rocks so it’s below their mouths. We also saw plenty of kahawai swimming around trying to get in on the action.
Book your tour at Home - Dive Tatapouri
Te Puia Springs Hotel at night.
Te Puia Springs Hotel
Te Puia Springs Hotel is a registered heritage building, at over 100 years old, there’s plenty of olden day charm in her bones. There’s a genuine Wurlitzer in the common room, we did turn it on but didn’t get to play it. The dining hall reminds me of the local RSA on Bingo night. The décor is a bit tired, but for us, it was a comfortable base for a couple of nights.
There’s no onsite restaurant, but guests have access to fridges, kitchen facilities and cookware. The Trading Post is a dairy (convenience store) down the road, with the famous KFC aka Kai For Coasties serving up fish ‘n’ chips and burgers. There’s a bigger Four Square in Tokomaru Bay (20 minutes drive south) for more food options.
The hot pool onsite is a large concrete bath - 10 adults would be a tight squeeze. At over 40C, she was a hot one! There are no public hot pools in Te Puia Springs.
Even though the Te Puia Pub is attached to the hotel, it's under different management. On our last night there was karaoke that lasted until midnight. I feel this was more the exception than the norm. There was no escaping the noise, so if you’re a light sleeper, bring ear plugs.
Book your stay at www.tepuiahotel.co.nz/
The tall fella looking at the debris of the collapsed roof structure of the old wool shed.
Tokomaru Bay and Waipiro Bay
We spent a day exploring Tokomaru Bay and Waipiro Bay. Unfortunately, Tokomaru Bay Wharf is closed indefinitely due to disrepair and currently fenced off. We parked the car at the wharf car park and walked up to the old freezing works and wool shed site. There we met Wiremu, originally from the area and had recently come home from Australia. He’s retired and has spent the last couple of years cleaning up the old sites and removing a lot of the debris. He hopes to one day set up a natives nursery and maybe even a men’s toolshed for the locals. If you’re into photography, it’s a great site to walk through.
Nature slowly reclaiming the old wool shed and meat freezing works buildings.
The ‘road closed’ sign greeted us at the entrance to Waipiro Road. Even before the big storms the road was already windy and narrow, with a few corners barely looking bigger than a single lane. Parts of the road had washed away, marked only by road cones and tape. Take your time, keep your speed down and you’ll be right. The beaches are serene and devoid of people. The historic church next to the cemetery is quite charming.
Standing on the beach at Waipiro Bay.
Te Araroa, Hicks Bay and East Cape
Homeward bound, we made a quick stop at the historic St Mary’s Church in Tikitiki. A beautiful historic church with a monument in tribute to Māori Battalion hero, Sir Apirana Ngata.
I had been looking forward to taking the tall fella up the lighthouse, unfortunately the track is closed indefinitely due to severe track damage. We had breakfast and coffee at Twilight Café in Te Araroa, a food trailer usually only open during the summer months. It’s tucked away in a lovely garden overlooking the township. There are a couple of fig trees planted from cuttings of 100-year-old trees from Lotin Point - if you’re there when it fruits, ask the owner if you can take some home, they’re delicious!
The tall fella standing in front of Te Waha o Rerekohu, the largest Pōhutukawa of its species in the world.
My family immigrated from the Philippines in 1991. We lived in one of the school houses on Wiira Street until we moved to Whakatāne in the summer of 1995. We drove past our old house a couple of times - the tree at the front where I would sit for hours is no longer there. Te Waha o Rerekohu is both the name of the school and the giant Pōhutukawa tree. It’s believed to be well over 350 years old and the largest of its species in the world.
Just over the hill is Hicks Bay and the beautiful Onepoto Beach. I have plenty of memories of surf lifesaving galas and swimming here as a kid. There were a couple of utes/trucks with boat trailers parked on the beach, but it was relatively empty. We followed a short track through the grass that took us around the bay. There were a couple of guys fishing on the rocks. The water was incredible shades of blue, green and turquoise.
Onepoto Beach, Hicks Bay.
Dark rain clouds stalked us on the drive home, teasing us with fat droplets and a chilly breeze. We really liked the contrast of storm clouds behind Raukokore Church, so we stopped to take a few photos before heading off again. I’m pretty sure I nodded off a few times on the drive home, waking up in hazy slumber in different towns. The SH35 East Coast road trip is the quintessential Kiwi summer road trip - take your time, chat to the locals, enjoy an ice cream by the beach. Let time go slow and enjoy the drive.
Storm clouds brewing behind Raukokore Church.
Ronna Grace Funtelar is a 40-something desk-fit creative, weekend explorer and cheese enthusiast in Whakatāne, New Zealand. She has a big butt, chunky thighs and shakin’ more jelly than Destiny’s Child. Her creaky knees discovered an appreciation for Type 2 adventures in the bush and mountains in her thirties, and she’s been hiking ever since.
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