June 12, 2026 Wilcox Creek Campground, Alberta to Lake Allison Provincial Campground, British Columbia

Woke up to a foggy drippy morning with views of only clouds and fog. The snow covered mountains were there when we went to bed bu somehow disappeared overnight. Coffee and tea as usual and we decided to keep going north on the Icefields Parkway to Jasper which was 1-½ hours. Not much traffic going north but quite a bit more going the other way toward Banff.

Driving into Jasper we saw the remnants of the 2024 fire that burned a whole lot of trees and a third of Jasper. Pulling into Jasper we saw row after row of temporary housing, mostly unoccupied now, but we assume housed the refugees from the fire and all the workers needed to rebuild the town. We found the Jasper Waffle Shop and both had waffles, blueberry and strawberry. After brunch we drove through town and saw the parts of town that didn’ burn and filled up with gas ($1.83/liter).

Jasper is the end of Rt 93 which we started on June 2 in Wickenburg, AZ. Now we head back south. If we go any further north we will be way north since the inner parts of BC are pretty wild still.

So west on Rt 1 and then south on Rt 5 to Kamloops, which is a big town (5 McDonalds big) and then turned onto Rt 5 south which is a slower two lane picturesque road. We stopped at Kentucky-Allyene Provincial Park but it was full. Then we went south another 30 minutes and found a site at Lake Allison Campground. Met some folks from New York that were returning from Alaska and had a nice chat. Supper was ravioli and salad then reading and bed. Hotel tomorrow night?

June 11, 2026 Wasa Lake Provincial Park, BC to Wilcox Creek Campground, Alberta

Quiet and pretty empty campground this morning. We took showers which it seems runs off the passive solar panels on the roof which did a good job of dissipating any heat it collected yesterday, that is to say, we had cold showers this morning. Coffee and tea and then hit the road looking for a Tim Horton’s, because we are in Canada after all. Milo had Tim Horton coffee and a bagel and Deb had a London Fog Latte and a breakfast sandwich. The young guy at the counter told us about a beautiful stop at a scenic lookout which we later stopped at and it was indeed very scenic. We drove up Rt 93 until it hit Rt 1 and then headed to Banff, the town and the hotel. The town was swarming with people shopping mostly, and filled up with gas ($1.80 per liter as opposed to the usual $1.72). There are not many gas opportunities on the Icefields Parkway so we take no chances.

We found a coffee shop (Wild Flour Coffee and Cafe)  and then found the Banff Springs Hotel (the castle looking pace) but we were ready to get on the road. But it turned out that the train that runs through town ran through town but the lights and crossing gates did not return to the vertical position, so the whole town locked up. Over an hour went by with nobody moving, just sitting in our cars. After about an hour we noticed that there was a back way out of Banff about 5km east (I think). So we escaped and another train was just coming into Banff as we left so maybe they are still there trying to get the gate open.

It sprinkled off and on all day but mostly off. The mountain scenery is just never ending. As soon as you get your jaw off the dashboard from one mountain view, another one comes around the corner, then another and then another, all day long.

We stopped and hiked into Peyto Lake, about 700 meters, along with quite a few other folks. Snowbanks were still everywhere so some of the trail was on packed snow but the view of turquoise Peyto Lake was well worth it.

For lunch we had cheese and crackers and apples and then we played the “where do we camp tonight” game. Some campgrounds were full and some were closed, probably due to snow but the furthest one, Wilcox Creek was open with plenty of empty sites ($33.50).

We made a fire, cooked soup and made sandwiches for dinner and popped popcorn in our new microwave experiment (works great).

Reading and bed.

 June 10, 2026  Bowman Lake, MT to Wasa Lake Provincial Park, BC

Deb here. Wow, darkest night ever last night. I think there were perhaps three of us camped in the campground and it was super quiet and unbelievably dark.

When we woke up it was in the 40’s and drizzly. I walked to the lake and the clouds were low and no sign of sun. After coffee and tea in the van we came to the decision that the weather wasn’t going to improve so we decided to move on. We packed up and headed back down the narrow dirt road and through Polebridge. We stopped at the ranger station on the way and had a great talk with the two rangers on duty (one from Rutland, VT and a Castleton grad) and they confirmed our weather suspicions. They also told us that instead of the 20 miles of rough road ahead we could cut through a piece of Glacier NP on our way back for an easier ride. We followed their recommendation and came out at the Apgar Visitor Center, where we stopped for a passport stamp and sticker.

Back on 93, this time with a stop in Whitefish. Fresh bagels are something we don’t get in Bisbee, so we looked for a bagel place in Whitefish and found Cutthroat Bagels. Delicious salty seeded homemade bagels.

On up the road on 93, eventually coming to Eureka where we stopped to fill up on gas before crossing the border into Canada. The border crossing was easy, with the border patrol agent only concerned that we weren’t carrying any firearms. Rte. 93 in Canada turned out to be jawdroppingly beautiful, with huge snowcapped mountains on our right and more mountains everywhere you look. We stopped at a McDonald’s for drinks mid-afternoon in Cranbrook (note to self, Canadian McDonald’s actually offer Earl Grey tea) and decided to find a camping spot nearby.

Lots of provincial and other parks up this way and we chose Wasa Lake Provincial Park. The campground wasn’t full at all and includes showers, flush toilets and level spots. We picked a site and went for a walk down to the small lake. The camp host and a ranger later came by with a golf cart to collect our money. The site is $30, but we were charged an additional $20 as a national park fee. Apparently anytime we camp at a provincial park we’ll have to pay the additional non-resident fee. Still, $50 Canadian translates to about $35 US, so not outrageous for a decent campsite. The two women were really nice and we made it clear we’d rather spend our money in Canada with the way things are going in the US.

Fresh corn as an appetizer, then steamed broccoli with rice and sausage for dinner. We finally had a campfire and actually tried plugging in our small (old) microwave for some popcorn later. After looking at maps we decided we’ll keep heading up on Rte 93 all the way to Jasper.

 June 9, 2026 Flathead Lake to Bowman Lake MT

We left our beautiful lakeside campsite at Finley Point State Park after one last chat with the nice neighbors Dave and Martha and their two grandkids. They were from Whitehall, MT and the grandkids wee from Salmon, ID. Nice folks.

We headed north on the east side of Flathead Lake which is a small 2 lane road and more scenic than the west side which is RT93. We stopped in Big Fork, MT at the Pocketstone Cafe. Breakfast sandwich for Deb and Montana Mush (oatmeal) for Milo.

Next stop Walmart to resupply while Milo made a few phone calls (dentist, brothers).

Our end destination today is Bowman Lake which is actually in Glacier Park but in the remote northwest corner. It rained off and on today and is expected to tomorrow as well. The road to Bowman is 21 miles to the interesting “town” of Polebridge (they made a bridge out of poles way back when). You have to stop at the Polebrifge Mercantile and get a Huckleberry Bearclaw, which we did, and then headed up the muddy, pohole filled road to Bowman Lake. It’s 21 miles of awful road over beautiful terrain. Today was grader day so a few miles were a muddy mess like we had back in Vermont. Where the grading stopped it was nasty potholes so 20 mph was about all you could do. Then out of nowhere it turns to smooth paved road and then back to potholes again. All in the intermittent rain.

When we made the turn to Bowman Lake there was a pleasant National Park Ranger to greet us. This must be a lonely job way up here. From there it was a 6 mile rough 1 to 1-½ lane wide dirt potholed road to the campground where we found about 26 empty campsites (out of 30 or so). No camp host so put your money ($12.50 with the pass) in the envelope and drop it int the box. We signed up for two nights.

It cleared briefly so we went down to the lakeshore and got the classic Bowman Lake pictures, then it started raining again so back to the van to read for the afternoon. It’s nice not to have internet!

We ate the Subway sub we bought earlier for dinner (no dishes!) and then off to bed.

P.S. Deb bought bear spray today…

June 8, 2026 Missoula MT to Flathead Lake MT

Deb here. Not too surprising, but we slept well, even in a hotel. We decided to pass up the standard Super 8 breakfast and find a real-live bagel joint. This is something we miss in Bisbee! We found 3B Bagels in downtown Missoula and had great bagels, coffee and delicious Earl Grey Blue tea. I liked the tea so much, which was from the Lake Missoula Tea Co., that I set off to find some downtown to buy. Downtown Missoula is a fun town, very reminiscent of Burlington, VT.

On in the van out of town to follow Rt. 93 north, and what a gorgeous stretch of road once again. Mountain views, sunshine, some wildflowers and ultimately views of Flathead Lake. 

Our first goal was to stop at the Miracle of America Museum near Polson, a quirky spot that Cooper had recommended. 

We pulled into the museum parking lot and spent about 2 hours wandering through the huge collection of stuff. From old farm equipment, to dolls, to beauty parlors, to guns… everything you could imagine and then some. Very quirky and very fun.

From there it was on to Finley Point State Park, where we hoped to score a campsite. Once again luck was with us and we were given site 16, right on the water. What a beautiful little state park. 

We made some lunch then opted to walk a nature loop through the woods. The loop was really fun because a local resident hid painted rocks along the trail, making it into a sort of scavenger hunt. Lovely woods and a cool idea.

After our walk I put on my suit and headed to the beach with a chair and reading material and John opted to read in the van. I had fun watching grandparents and their six young grandkids navigate kayaks. I finally screwed up my courage and went into the super cold water. No swimming, but a couple of dunks. Brrr!

In the evening we drove into Polson and had a great dinner at The Shoe Lakeside Dining in Polson. Beautiful views over the lake and good fish and chips and cobb salad.

Back to our campsite to end another great day on the road.

June 7, 2026 Indian Trees USFS Campground to Super 8 (Missoula, MT)

 

We drove out of the forest and once we got cell service again, we had a note from Shelly Meyer, who we have not met before, who lives in Missoula and is the mom of our daughter's friend Melissa from years ago backpacking in Peru (wow, that’s complicated). Shelly and her husband Skee have lived in Missoula forever and offered to show us around. We decided it was time for a hotel night and to do laundry so we were going to stay in town anyway.

We met Shelly and Skee at their home and they drove us around town, took us on a walking tour of town and took us out to lunch in town at Cafe Mimosa. Missoula is a great college town with lots of energy and no boarded up storefronts like a lot of towns these days. The new library is gorgeous and the college has around 11,000 students. It’s a very vibrant town.

After our grand town tour (thanks again to Shelly and Skee) we contacted Celia, who’s a friend of our friend Carter in Bisbee, and we met at The Missouri Club (locals call it the Mo Club) for a beer and a burger. Kind of a dive but it’s a local institution. Great burgers. We had a nice catch up with Celia and then headed to the Super 8 to do laundry and sleep. We are coming back to Missoula for sure.

June 6, 2026 Craters of the Moon National Monument (Arco, ID) to Indian Trees USFS Campground (Sula, MT)

Deb here. Once again we slept amazingly well. We’d lost an hour yesterday jumping to Mountain Standard Time so maybe that had something to do with it?

We packed up and drove the park 7-mile or so loop. The road was excellent, with several stops that led to paved trails. We stopped at a few pull-offs and hiked a couple of the trails. It’s kind of cool that all of the trails are paved in black, as are the sidewalks, probably because it looks like the lava that’s everywhere. Very bizarre landscape, and particularly strange that wildflowers manage to grow through the hard lava rocks. Beautiful in an unconventional way.

By the time we finished exploring the driving loop it was time for breakfast. We headed up Rt 93 (of course), stopping in the small town of Arco to eat a late breakfast at Pickle’s Place. The diner was hopping but the service and food were good. Arco has the distinction of being the first town in the world to be powered entirely through nuclear power, and it has a few quirky attractions.

From Arco on up Rt 93 the drive was incredible. First up was passing snow covered mountains in all directions, including Mt. Borah, a 12,000+ foot montain that’s Idaho’s highest. The landscape then changed, Rt 93 became the Salmon River Scenic Byway, and we were winding our way along the Salmon River through canyons with spectacular rock faces. 

We passed through the charming little town of Salmon and then eventually we started to climb and left the dry mountains and fields for much more green. The terrain started to feel more alpine and the road was beautiful, taking us to the top of Lost Trail Pass. Lots of Lewis and Clark info along the way, since we’re following in their footsteps along this route.

Down the other side of the pass to our destination, Indian Trees USFS Campground. I’d read good reviews about the campground and they were spot on. A paved road through the campground, big sites, campground host, and a half mile walk to Lost Trail Hot Springs. When we pulled into the campground at 3 or so there were lots of empty spots. After settling into #8 we put our suits on and walked to the hot springs.

The hot springs turned out to be a great pool at the perfect temperature ($7/person), and even better we had hot showers (with shampoo) after our time in the pool. Quite a treat after several nights of camping with no showers!

Back to the campground for dinner, plotting our next destinations, reading and bed.

June 5, 2026 Thomas Canyon Campground (Elko NV) to Craters of the Moon Lava Flow Campground (Arco, ID)

Well we are completely digitally detoxed after 2 days up in the Ruby Mountains. This is the kind of place you could come back to over and over. Snowcapped mountains, mountain streams, great hiking trails.

We went into Elko and found the Coffee Mug restaurant where we had been a couple years back. Still great, full of people half of which looked like they were in town for the mining trade show.

After breakfast we went east on I-80 to the turnoff north to RT93 at Wells. Then across the border into Idaho at Jackpot NV. Then Twin Falls, ID where the Snake River runs, north to Shoshone where we turned east to stay on RT93. Craters of the Moon National Monument it right on Rt93 and we got into the park free with the geezer pass and found a nice campsite (for all of $7.50).. It was 3:00 and there were a lot of campsites left. As I write this around 7:00 there are just a couple left so it paid to get here early.

We walked to the Visitor Center, watched the movie and looked at all of the displays, bought a couple of trinkets and then back to the van for dinner. Sausage, carrots and rice. We’d stopped at a Walmar in Elko and picked up a few things including a couple of  pte-mixed margaritas, which turned out to be ok, but we had no ice. We will try again tomorrow.

After dinner we walked on a trail across the lava fields and then took the auto-road back to the campsite. We’lldrive the 7-mile park loop in the morning. Temperature was around 80 when we arrived and the weather guy says we should see 58 tonight so perfect sleeping weather. Another great day. 

June 4, 2026 - Thomas Canyon Campground

Deb here. The temperature dipped to 36 degrees overnight, but all was well in our van with our cozy heater. I didn’t put coverings over all of the windows since it was so dark last night, and it was so nice to wake up this morning and see the blue sky, mountains and rushing brook. Pretty perfect.

We decided last night that we’d hike the Thomas Canyon Trail this morning. Last time we were here we hiked the trail at the end of the road and it was spectacular, leading up to a series of alpine lakes. I learned last night from a woman in a nearby campsite that there was still a lot of snow up there, but that the Thomas Canyon hike is a winner. And to make it even better, the trail departs across the road from our campsite.

After leisurely coffee, tea and breakfast, we took off up the trail by about 8:45 am.

The trail is an out and back, going up about 1,300 feet in elevation over 2+ miles (one way). It was a constant up but oh so beautiful. Wildflowers were just starting to pop, so I took lots of photos along the way. And then there were many waterfalls, blue sky, aspens, sunshine and snow covered mountains. All in all an absolutely perfect alpine hike.

We took our time and arrived in the big meadow underneath the snow capped peaks at the end of the trail by 11 or so. I found a big rock and we hung out for quite a while, enjoying our snacks and talking with a couple of other hikers. The couple we met live about 70 miles from here and just came for a day hike. They’ve been hiking around Nevada for 40+ years and confirmed that the Ruby Mountains are among their favorites. They also suggested checking out Jarbridge, an old mining town with lots of great hikes and camping on the Idaho border, northwest of here.

We eventually headed down the mountain, returning to our campsite by 12:30 or so. The afternoon was pleasantly spent reading, napping and hanging out. There’s something to be said for our enforced digital detox!

Later in the afternoon we drove to the end of the road, about 5 miles beyond the campground. There’s a large parking area there with several trailheads, and we talked with a couple of men who’d tried to hike up to the Dollar Lakes (where we’d been in 2023) and had turned around due to the snow. We definitely made the right decision to hike in Thomas Canyon.

Back to our campsite for happy hour and then dinner later (grilled cheeses and corn chowder). More reading before bed. What a relaxing day!

June 3, 2026 - North Las Vegas to Thomas Canyon Campground in the Ruby Mountains, NV

Deb here. We slept great last night and La Quinta even threw in a great breakfast this morning. Any breakfast that includes a pancake machine keeps John happy!

Our goal today was to head north on Rt. 93 and find cooler weather for camping tonight. We quickly got out of the Las Vegas busyness and went through a whole lot of beautiful nothing. Once we reached Ash Springs, Rt 93 turned into the Great Basin Highway and it was all lovely. There was construction at one point in the middle of nowhere, and we stopped for a long time waiting for the pilot car to guide us through. We chatted with a young flagman who’s the father of a 9-month old, as well as the driver in the car behind us. Fortunately the temperature was in the 80’s, so the wait wasn’t too painful.

Eventually we came to the towns of Caliente, then Pioche. Our deviation on Business 93 into Pioche turned out to be a winner, since the town is an adorable old mining town. We kept on going, eventually arriving in Ely. By this time it was 1:30 and we decided to stop at a Subway and split a sub for a late lunch.

Back in the van to put some more miles in with the hope of making it to a Ruby Mountains campground. In September 2023 we first heard about the Ruby Mountains and drove the paved road to its deadend, then did a great hike to several alpine lakes. I remembered the road up through the canyon as being absolutely stunning and also remembered seeing a campground part way up the road. I’d checked the Forest Service website and learned that many of the sites were first come/first serve, so we decided to give it a try.

Google Maps took us on a cool shortcut off of 93, first on Rt 229 followed by 18 miles of well maintained dirt road to get us over to Lamoille and the start of the Ruby Mountains Canyon Road. We arrived at the campground at 5:15 and found a bunch of available sites for the high price (not) of $19/night or $9.50/night with John’s national park geezer pass. We scored Site 31, which backs up on the river and montain views in either direction and made the decision to stay here for 2 nights. Ahhh….

Walk around the campground, dinner of cheese, crackers, veggies and yogurt and enjoyed the rustling aspens, roaring river, blue skies and cool temperatures. I’m actually wearing a sweater for the first time in ages!

Jun 2, 2026 - Bisbee AZ to Las Vegas, NV

 

We were supposed to leave yesterday, Monday, but we were having some plumbing done which turned into more than we thought. So we got on the rod this morning at 6:30am, stopped in Benson for $4.66 gas, the McD’s for our usual celebratory sausage muffin breakfast. Traffic was smooth all the way on I-10 through Tucson and Phoenix and then turned on 303 and then Rt 93 which is our theme this trip. Rt 93 goes all the way from here to Canada via AZ, NV, ID, MT. We have been in the southern part but not way up north.

It was toasty all day and the goal is to get to Las Vegas, get a hotel tonight and then cam the next night when the temperatures will be cooler. It was 98 to 100 most of the day and when we landed in Las Vegas it was 103, so the hotel plan was sound.

We stopped for lunch in Kingman at a Jersey Mikes (sub chain). Nice clear day with beautiful mountain scenery, a nice drive by Hoover Dam and Lake Mead (which was pretty low). We stopped just across the Nevada line (from Arizona) at Boulder City where the workers who built Hoover Dam stayed when it was being built. A lot of nice old motels. We will come back and stay when the weather is cooler.

Dinner tonight a few miles away at BJ’s Restaurant and Brew House. Tomorrow we get north far enough to get 70’s temperatures.

Monday Jan 26, 2026 Napier to Hamilton

It was nice in Napier (no rain), worthy of a last walk downtown to the Sunrise coffee shop for tea, coffee and a shared almond butterscotch muffin. Then we plotted the course for Hamilton after a stop to fill the tank. We are seeing gas here for $2.50 per liter which equates to about $5.50 USD per gallon. But the Prius C (Aqua down here) gets 50-55 mpg so it's not too expensive.

We downloaded “The Hobbit” as an audio and played it today since we are in Hobbitland. Maybe we will watch it on the plane tomorrow?

We stopped part way and had coffee and tea and pies for lunch.

Goodbye Flat Whites..

Deb found a museum in Hamilton (Classics Museum) which has some beautifully restored trucks, motorcycles, scooters, toys, garage stuff, you name it. Obviously someone spent endless money and time restoring these old cars and trucks. A little hurt by them restoring a 1972 Datsun B110, but I guess I gotta deal with that.

We had a little time so we went to the Hamilton Zoo, which was very high quality. Lots of exotic animals that are very well kept. We heard the new polite term for being old enough to get a discount. It’s called “Premium Youth Pass”. The guy taking the money was very funny. And you bet we took the discount!!

After the zoo we found the hotel (Hamilton Motel) and checked in and then walked a little down the street to The Helm Bar and Kitchen which was great. After dinner we looked in the local Pak & Save store (mini Costco) to find some local chocolate assortments but no luck. We tried another corner store but no luck there. Maybe tomorrow.

Back to the room where we are getting everything packed for tomorrow where we hope to drop off the car, get a shuttle to the airport to check our bags, then get an Uber into town to catch a museum. Stay tuned..

Sunday Jan 25 2026 Napier day 2

It felt good to stay put today. Our scheme to stay out of the rain has been successful. Slept in and walked down the street to a coffee place (there is one on every corner here) and got coffee and tea and split a muffin. Today’s adventure is to go to the town next door, Hastings, to the weekly Sunday Hawkes Bay farmers market. It seems a very popular spot since there were a couple of hundred cars parked in the field next door and hundreds of people milling around. The musicians were just setting up so we were a little early. This farmers market has a focus on fruits and veggies with some local honey, cutting boards, baked goods, meat, cheese, you name it.

Deb picked up some fruit and some kettle corn (remember we pack our suitcases in two days..) which we promise to eat before we leave.

We then drove to a local winery for a wine and beer tasting. The ginger beer was pretty good but the others were so-so. Deb found a wine or two she liked but not enough to buy a bottle (remember the airplane thing). They had a couple on stage providing music and within an hour of when we arrived the place was packed with friends, families, kids, a real local event. We decided to order a flatbread pizza and soak in the nice vibe here.

Then back to Napier where Deb hit the info center and did some gift shopping in town while I walked up the Marine Parade (walkway next to the beach) and soaked in some sun.

After some down time we walked to an Irish pub (The Rose) and had a nice meal and drinks, then a walk down the beach to see the sunken garden and our last view of the ocean before heading back inland tomorrow.

Every place we go we're impressed with the “public wealth”, that is, clean working public bathrooms, well maintained walking and biking trails, town centers with plants and flowers. Nicely done New Zealand.

Then off to bed. Tomorrow we drive to Hamilton partly using the same twisty road we came into Napier on. Goodbye ocean!!

Saturday Jan 24, 2026 Ohope to Napier

Deb here. So this morning the big discussion was where to go next, given the weather. Unfortunately Ocean View was fully booked tonight, so one way or another we had to move on. 

We walked to the Quay Cafe in town for a flat white, chai latte and date scones while we pondered our options. We met a lovely younger couple who owned a house in Ohope Beach and lived there for many years, but now their permanent residence is Auckland. They’d raised their daughters in Ohope and plan to move back at some point. We talked with them for some ideas, thinking maybe we’d go north to Tauranga, although the recent devastating landslide that tore through a campground means a lot of chaos. As we looked at the weather it looked like driving to Napier might be our best option. The other couple gave us some ideas of what to do along the way, suggesting a walk around Blue Lake (Lake Tikitapu). They also filled us in that Glynnis, the owner of the Ocean View, is mom to the most celebrated Kiwi Olympian ever, a kayaker named Lisa Carrington. Once back at the Ocean View we talked with Glynnis and sure enough, her daughter has won 8 Olympic gold medals and will be competing again at the LA Olympics in 2028. Who knew?!

By about 10 am we were on the road. We decided to take our cafe friends’ advice, and made the short detour to Blue Lake. It was about a 4 mile walk around the lake and beautiful in the bush. There were lots of people out and about since it was Saturday, in spite of a bit of rain along the way. There was also a triathlon for all ages that morning, so many families were around.

By the time we finished it was after 1, so we stopped at a cafe attached to a gardening store for a late lunch. Boy, do I love toasties! Such a comfort food, this one with ham, cheese and tomato. John was excited about “breakfast all day” on the menu, so he tried the pancakes with fruit.

Back on the road, we took the 160km, twisty road to Napier. There were no services on this road but we had enough gas to make it. The road was beautiful and partly flat paddocks with sheep or beef grazing and partly twisty mountain road. New Zealand has very good roads. We passed a lot of stands of trees planted for commercial harvest. Our tour guide the other day said it takes 30 years of growth before they harvest the trees and ship them to China.

We arrived at Napier by 5. I’d reserved a room in The Dome, an art deco building right across from the I-Site we’d visited on our ship stop. We have quite a luxurious spot for a couple of nights and it felt good to know we’d have a day not to travel anywhere too far.

By 6:30 we walked out looking for dinner, and John found a pasta restaurant called Ilona Pasta and they were booked until 7:15, so we went down the street for a drink. I found the Peach Bomb on tap and John ordered an IPA. Fun to sit on the street and watch the action. At 7:15 we went back to the restaurant and had a great dinner. Salad to share, garlic bread and two pasta dishes. It’s a family run place, the two daughters of the owners (Ilo and Ona) were taking orders and waiting tables in the small restaurant while their dad cooked and their mom managed the front of house. One of the daughters is only 8 and the other’s 13, but they were both really charming.

A walk back through town and bed by 9 pm. Glad to see the sun again!

Friday Jan 23, 2026 Tongariro National Park Village to Ohope

 

OK, time to find some sunshine. The news is full of reports of mudslides, flooding and closed roads all over the island. A mudslide destroyed a campground under Mount Maunganui just outside the town of Tauranga with a couple dead and several missing so far.

 We checked the weather on the entire north island to see where we might find some sun and the east coast seems the most likely, and the most likely place is in the Bay of Plenty where Deb found a nice, inexpensive hotel, the Ocean View Motel, right on the beach in a little town on the east coast called Ohope Beach. The only bright spot in this foul weather is that many Kiwis are not out and about and there are plenty of vacancies.

We left on the early side and planned on a breakfast stop somewhere on the way. We also needed gas. The little Prius is getting about 55 mpg so the tank is small. Taupo is a good sized city and we filled up the car and found The Garden Cafe, a nice little cafe for an eggs and toast kind of breakfast. Sure enough as we got further east, the rains slowed down and by the time we arrived in Ohope, all the rain had stopped and the sun came out.

We got settled in and then walked down the beach in the warm sunshine and a steady but comfortable wind. The beach is very wide here and probably 4 miles long or so. We walked 2 miles or so down the beach into town and got a cider and a beer, then walked back to the hotel stopping at a couple of restaurants along the way to see what we could do for dinner tonight. 

After a little rest we took the car back into town to the Mexican restaurant, Cadera's, which had very nice tacos. After dinner we found a short trail up a mountain nearby to get a birds eye view of the shore and surrounding bays and mountains. After that we toured the rest of the peninsula which makes up the town and then back to the hotel.

Tomorrow morning we will look at the weather again to determine where to go. Stay tuned.