t Hikurangi, the highest point of the Raukumara Range, lies inland from Ruatoria, 40 kilometres north of Tokomaru Bay. Hikurangi was held by the local Ngati-Porou to be the resting place of the canoe of the legendary Maui and said to be inhabited by a giant moa which stood on one leg and fed upon the wind. The mountain was held in such awe that few ventured near and when in the 1830s a Pakeha trader travelled through this area he reported that the countryside around the mountain was pathless and filled with birds and lizards considered by the Maori to be spirits.

From Hikurangi came one of the last mainland sightings of the saddleback and in the 1960s members of the Gisborne tramping club heard what they thought may have been the booming of kakapo. Certainly if huia, piopio or kakapo survive in the North Island, it is most likely to be here in the rugged Raukumara Range. This country is very wild, and was the last forested area in the North Island to be invaded by feral animals, the Motu River acting as a natural barrier to their spread eastward.

After Ruatoria the road continues its inland course, the countryside alternating between forest and farm with the dividing line not always clear. The falcon is still sometimes to be seen hunting along the forest but is nowhere common. Many locals think that the 'sparrowhawk' takes domestic poultry and shoot it on sight.

At Te Araroa, the road reaches the coast again and from here the road turns west to the Bay of Plenty. At Te Araroa itself is found 'Te Waha-o-Rerekohu’, a pohutukawa said by the locals to be the largest in New Zealand, but in fact the one on Mayor Island is larger. The tree takes its name from a large pataka, or storehouse, that once stood nearby.

From Te Araroa, a no-exit road follows the beach to East Cape lighthouse. The road provides an opportunity to see various seabirds, including gannets, petrels, oystercatchers and several species of terns.

From Hicks Bay, 10 kilometres past Te Araroa, to Whangaparaoa Bay, just south of Cape Runaway, the road takes its last, lengthy inland leg. About halfway between the two bays is the Oweka River and for once the name is not a memorial - weka are said to be in the area further up the river. A road follows the Oweka River up to the Waikura Valley where there is good bush with kiwi, kaka, falcons and kakariki, together with a number of the smaller native species. The bush here is rugged so don't go tramping by yourself.

A short side road off State Highway 35 past Potaka leads to Lottin Point where one of the few inland nesting colonies of seabirds survive. Both grey faced petrels and southern fairy prion have been reported nesting in recent years, but their numbers are very low and it would seem only a matter of time before they disappear.

Fur seals haul themselves out on some of the more isolated rocks along this coast, and sea leopards and very occasionally sea elephants have been reported on some of the beaches, up from their sub-Antarctic breeding grounds. Blue penguins, too, are to be seen here and they regularly trudge their way inland to their nesting burrows, which are sometimes as much as a kilometre from the sea and often high above sea level.

Whangaparaoa means the bay of the sperm whale and Maori tradition says it was here that the first canoes, Arawa and Tainui, landed on arriving from Hawaiki. When they landed, a stranded whale was found on the beach and the captains of the canoes, in order to claim it, argued over who had landed first. Eventually, the captain of the Arawa conceded the whale and the land to the Tainui and sailed off to settle elsewhere. (The wife of Houri, the captain of the Tainui, is credited with introducing kumara to this country.)

At Waihau Bay, where it is possible to hire a dinghy, the hapuka fishing is very good. Sixty years ago, crayfish were so abundant here the local hotel served them for lunch every day, the proprietor catching all he needed in rock pools at low tide.

From here to Opotiki the road skirts the coast and the drive along the rugged coastline is beautiful. In December scarlet pohutukawa and golden lupins line the beaches and the deep blue waters of the many bays provide a marvellous backdrop.

Whanarua Bay is an excellent spot for snorkelling, the many rocky reefs boasting a variety of fish. Tems nest in large numbers among the rocks at the western end of the beach.

One distinction of this area is its rare plants. A member of the plantain family, Plantago picta, forms attractive mats on the rapidly eroding mudstone cliffs. Another of our rarest plants, known only from near Opape further along the coast, is Carmichaelia williamsii, a particularly attractive member of the broom family.