January 28, 2013
There was more to see between the Te Paki Dunes area and our inn, but it was getting late so we decided to save that for tomorrow. For now I was worried about dinner. This is a remote area and there aren’t many places to eat, and things don’t stay open very late. On top of that it was a government holiday—would anything be open? The worst case scenario would be having to drive an hour south to the Mc Donald’s in Kaitaia , not a happy prospect.
We drove past the turnoff for our inn and headed for the small town of Houhora where there’s a big touristy tavern. My heart sank to find it closed. We drove to the next tiny town, Pukenui, where we spotted a liquor store and pulled in thinking we could just get snacks. It, too, was closed. I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked across the parking lot and saw a nice looking restaurant/bar, the Pukenui Pacific, and it was actually open! I could have kissed it!
We ordered food at the bar then made our way to the deck with frosty mugs of Tui beer. Our dinner soon arrived, a seafood burger and a satay burger, and they were both delicious. What a treat to find a nice little restaurant like this out in the middle of nowhere, open on a holiday. –Cyndi
