Crunching Out in Curio Bay

We found our overnight accommodations for the night between our two-day drive through the Caitlins by randomly driving up to a backpacker motel in Curio Bay and asking if they had any rooms.


"Yes, we have a private double room for NZ$55 (about US$39)," Jan, the man in charge, told us. He looked kind of like a samurai and he spoke with a French accent. I peeled off $55 in and we put our stuff in our room.

Everyone we met here was friendly and sociable (we're starting to think that all humans have a latent "friendly button" that switches on when you come to New Zealand). We met Chris, Abby, Jacob and Mark, who were visiting Jan the French Samurai for the week. And we met Tammy, who was living her dream and spending three months travelling New Zealand on her own. And in another example of the sheer pleasure of being a tourist in NZ, we'd end up bumping into Tammy twice in the next two days.

We loved the crunchy vibe here. It was like being in our beloved Ithaca, except cheaper, friendlier and just a bit more out of the way. And there was a beautiful and practically empty beach right down below the lodge.


But don't come here hoping to plug in though. There is no mobile phone service at all, and certainly no broadband. The nearest internet access was a dialup connection at some guys house, about 10km back up the road. We passed on using it, as I imagined gouging my eyes out while waiting two hours to upload a single high resolution photo from Laura's new camera.


And yet this little community has a world-class restaurant. The award-winning Niagara Falls Cafe (exactly what award they won I have no idea), features locally brewed beers, wonderful scenic views and the great food we're beginning to come to expect everywhere here in New Zealand.








The next morning, I sat out on the upper deck of the Dolphin Lodge, watching the waves for more than an hour. I was so happy that I even found myself enjoying an awful cup of instant coffee which was available to guests free of charge.

And over that hour, on the road through town, a grand total of three vehicles came by. And one of them was the town garbage truck. That's a Monday morning rush hour here in Curio Bay, NZ.

Related Sites:
Dolphin Lodge
Curio Bay, NZ
Phone: 03 246 8577
niagarafallscafe@xtra.co.nz
[By the way, this lodge is for sale, for any of you interested in chucking the rat race and enjoying the better, slower pace of life here....]

Niagara Falls Cafe
256 Niagara-Waikawa Rd
Niagara, NZ
Phone: 03 246 8577