Tora

Had a nice wee relaxing break over the weekend at Tora. Tora is on the south east coast of the Wairarapa. Basically you drive to Martinborough and then keep driving on for a further 50 kms.

It’s a lovely drive over. The road is sealed for around 35 kms, and unsealed for 15 kms. But even the unsealed section is pretty good to drive on. I always like seeing windmills in scenic areas. I think they actually add to the view, not detract from them.

There were a number of cows just strolling along the roadside, so do be careful if you ever drive down there. If your car hits a cow, the car may come off second best.

As you get close to the coastline, there’s a wide waterway flowing into it.

There’s around 10 kms of coastline, with a few score houses scattered over them. It’s near total isolation – no shops or anything between Tora and Martinborough. It’s a beautiful rugged coast.

This is the house we were at. Gets great sun, and a view to kill for.

This is the sunrise over the ocean, from the house. A great thing to wake up to (not as great as Hayley Holt, but still pretty good!)

We were told there was no Internet or mobile phone access at the house, but that one could get a cellphone signal at the top of the hill. What we didn’t realise was quite how large the hill was! I did actually make an attempt but when I tried to climb over an electric fence, and got thrown a couple of feet backwards, I decided it was a message to give up.

If you’re in Wellington and want a nice weekend away from everyone, then give Tora a go. definitely going to go back again – and next time with gear to catch crayfish and paua!