Having driven south from Napier to Pourerere then north up the beach to the northern extremity of vehicle access just past Paoanui Point we spent an hour or so relaxing and enjoying lunch before we finally managed to drag ourselves away from the tranquillity. 

Our return trip was to continue further south past Pourerere to Aramoana and finally Blackhead to complete the entire beach run.  If you are doing this run note that a 4WD track has been built to go up and around the fragile reef between Aramoana and Blackhead and this should be used rather than trying to stay on the sand and rocks. 

From Pourerere we detoured back via the unsealed Clareinch Rd to take in the other side of the Tukituki River valley from the way we came in that morning. 

That night we discussed our options for the next day – whether to return directly to Wellington or do more exploring.  With the success of the last two days as inspiration we decided to take another day and head to Taupo for Monday night. 

A bit of internet browsing and a phone call soon had a couple of rooms booked in a lakefront motel just out of Taupo and a plan to get there the scenic way via Lake Waikaremoana.

To read the full story in the May 2016 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (April 25) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.