River Road, Tukituki River Wander

15th July 2025

Today we really needed to walk in the wild, so we headed to River road thinking we might wander along the stop bank as it's pretty muddy almost everywhere presently. Quite suddenly we decided to via right instead- I wonder where this path goes to? And so we had the best winter Tukituki river wandering adventure & found spots & views we've never seen before. 

This spot is accessed by heading down River road, past David Cranwell's place & the Pocket Park, via left & park up the top just after the trees, or stay right & head down to the main car park. From there most people walk out along the stop bank or over the wide open spaces. You can go for miles- all the way to Haumoana. However, if you simply via right from the car park instead & follow your nose you'll find a whole nother landscape that is quite, quite different.

As you look up & back there is the back of Te Mata Peak.

And all the willows in winter grace, with buddleia davidii in the foreground.

The solid presence of Kahuranaki in the distance.

From season to season the rivers create new paths to suit themselves. The Tukituki has opted for the far bank choice at this time, so to reach the flow you have to wander across a good expanse of river beach.

And how beautiful. Looks like a good swimming hole to return to in summer.

Moss

Perhaps like people rivers never stay quite the same, with each visit there's a new interface, all depending on the season, if it's rained recently or not, weather conditions and the health of the river.

This was very much the spot to find. It's not the same wandering around in the blazing sun so winter is a great time to do the investigating.

On our return we came across what looked like a great little set up until our friend Rachel roared with laughter when she saw this photo as she recognised school issue equipment.

It's still astonishing to see just where the water rose to in cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023).

Fortunately for us there's some trail bike tracks well established that we were able to follow through the trees. 

And another tracking heading further on to the right past a horse paddock.

You have to wonder how on earth these stars (narcissus) manged to get themselves planted here in the middle of nowhere.

Happily, fragrantly naturalised.

We weren't quite sure how far this path would take us & if it was passable at all. Sadly a bird caught in a hawthorn tree, no doubt due to the cyclone.

This was the first sign of a hawthorn anywhere along here. 

This area is known as Undercliff. 

There's a homestead named Undercliff just up there too.

Lovely horse.

Oh yes here's the gateway to Undercliff as we pass by on Waimarama road.

Then over Red bridge & along Tukituki road on our way home. Lovely avenue of London Plane trees.

Then up the hill to the lookout, a tidy tucked in pull over to the side of the road near the fence & looking down- there's the spot we've just been wandering around in. 

Just on the outskirts of Havelock North this will be a great spot to return to.

The Coach House- Starring in New Zealand House & Garden

18th May 2021 

A few years ago we used to do a lot of walking up on Napier Hill & we would quite often find ourselves wandering past the Coach House & we would see the sign that it was a bed & breakfast but we never quite managed to go in & find out what the story was. But then one day I came across the listing on Airbnb & we came & stayed. I wrote about that first visit in An Angel in the Garden just here. We had such a lovely stay that we came back again the following May when leaves were falling & there was a whole different autumn vibe in the garden.    

                                                                                                                                                         

Such a sweet bedroom & a very comfy bed.

I'm not sure we've stayed anywhere else where the artwork was so personalised & unique; old-fashioned watercolours & soft gentle hues.

We came to recognise Jan's touch on all of our visits- always flowers from the garden.

Simple & welcoming.

Clever use of a space that was originally designed to house horses.This lovely old table tucks in here perfectly.

More artwork- perhaps something you might otherwise spot in an old Kiwi bach by the sea.

Such a darling, warm & cosy bedroom up the steep stairs.

Tucked away up on Gladstone road, the Coach House is in a lovely position on the Hill. We were able to walk to our beloved Old Napier Hill cemetery quite easily. 

A fascinating, everchanging space, the old cemetery is sometimes cared for & sometimes not so much. There are random bouts of weedeating performed by council workers & intermittent spurts of gardening & planting done by volunteers. 

Much of the time the cemetery grounds are simply a law unto themselves.

This Mary rose is lovely.

Centranthus has made herself well & truly at home- well suited to the harsh conditions she blooms profusely through spring & early summer.

Soft light in autumn, leaves drift down to provide nourishment to the unintended wild garden.

Lovely having the Botanical gardens as a back drop. 

Armless angel 

still patiently protecting the little one.

We love this view looking out over the County Hotel & The Dome, from just up Gladstone road.

Staying locally is such a great plan as we get to explore our province in new ways from a handy starting point. I made Savoury Book Shop Cafe muffins to bring on our journey & the next day we headed north to visit White Pine Bush.

I love finding wall lettuce (Latuca muralis) in the wild. Very distinctive leaf shape. If ever we get lost in the bush we know that we can eat it. It can also be cooked with other greens, a bit like puha.

Great informative signage.

And particularly holey/holy Kawakawa.

We found a lady wearing a charming crocheted jersey in the Red Cross shop.

And Rob found himself a rather special hat.

Great to see Turk's Cap hibiscus growing out of a bank in a sheltered spot. The seeds look like tiny apples & are edible.

Walking around up on "The Hill" seldom makes more sense with each exploration, we generally struggle to figure out where we are exactly & logic isn't much help. 

But it's worth the meander for the adventure of it all. You never know what unexpected vista you might happen upon next.

And the old houses are fascinating. Especially as they are the ones that survived through the 1931 earthquake & lived another (almost) 100 years to tell their tales.

This house is tucked in on a no exit road. You really couldn't drive the scenic route & see all this as you absolutely have to look where you're going at all times & you may well end up at a dead end with no turn around.

An evergreen oak- Holly oak.

There is much decay & neglect on The Hill but also an admirable amount of serious restoration.

So much work gone in to this place.

They surely do not make them like this anymore.

About now we were heading in to trouble, but look at that entrance.

Imagine painting this house!

The trouble being that you walk & walk along back paths & think that you'll find a stairway, or alley to get yourself out again but in this instance we came to a profound dead end.

We had to retrace our steps & hope for the best. Eventually we began to see familiar sights.

A rather quirky fact is that you have to drive/walk through the middle of Napier Girl's High School grounds to reach the Caoch House.

Quite a startling juxtaposition- the stark modern new buildings set amidst the old original styling. 

But then up around the corner past this glorious hydrangea.

And we're almost "home".

Goodness, you'd never see sprays of cimbidium orchids growing in a Hastings garden.

The kitchen is well set up at the Coach House so that we can make our coffee & prepare a simple dinner. 

On this visit we found a New Zealand House & Garden magazine in the pile .

But not just any old edition. We were thrilled to find that there was an article in this particular magazine about Jan & her garden & the Coach House. Printed in March 2021 & here we were visiting in the October.

Magazines have a habit of disappearing in to obscurity after a while so I took the liberty of photographing the pages so that we could read the story again later. 

These recipes for preserves made with lavender, peacherines & black boy peaches rather took my fancy. And reminded me of Jan too as there is always a jar of homemade jam or marmalade ready & waiting in the Coach House kitchen.  

How wonderful to have walked around the very same garden as in the magazine & to have chatted with Jan in person. Such a delightful & memorable stay.