Hawke's Bay Day Two - a Kilogram of Noms

Ocean Beach

The next morning, we tried to find the previously evasive Ocean Beach. Luckily I used Google Maps on my phone to locate it otherwise we may never have - there were no signs for the road you were supposed to take. Once there, the beach proved to be worth the drive out. Like Waimarama Beach, it was deserted apart from one family, and the beach was long with soft sand. 

Ocean Beach seen from above. 

Ya Bon Cafe, Havelock North

I had been told to try the brown sugar brioche, and it lived up to its fame. It was like a mix between a normal brioche and a cinnamon roll. My only complaint is that the hot chocolate was a bit milky, but overall it was a lovely breakfast. 

Hastings

Hastings was also damaged in the 1931 earthquake, though not as badly as Napier. We took a walk around the town, and the clocktower stood out. The fountains before it were decorated with metal appropriations of Christmas trees, and a disgruntled woman walked past talking into her mobile, saying that she had "tried to give him back the phone but he just wouldn't take it!" And hung up. 

We found an amazing pick-your-own berry place called Ruby Glen. Having picked loads of raspberries and boysenberries, we were delighted to find that it all only cost $5.60! That's normally what you'd pay for a tiny punnet of boysenberries at the supermarket, but we walked away with nearly a kilo. 

It made for a rather nice lunch when coupled with an apple cider in Eskdale Park, just north of Napier. 

Close up on the deliciousness. Look at it! Nom nom nom.

After lunch, we went for a walk along the asparagus field, trying to find a fabled secret entrance to the Eskdale river. There were entrances to it in the park and from our campground, but we were told that this one led to a deeper part of the river which had large rocks you could jump off. We walked through much long grass, fennel plants and brambles trying to find it, but alas we were unsuccessful. Still, now I know what an asparagus plant looks like (it looks like someone told a child to draw a picture of an asparagus plant, and not knowing what it actually looked like, they drew an asparagus spear sprouting from the ground). It was rather comical to see so many asparaguses sticking up straight out of the ground like that.