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Published: January 16th 2014
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Monday January 6th, 2014. The Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand
The Coromandel is a favourite holiday spot for New Zealanders as it is within 1 and a half hours of the major centres of Auckland and Hamilton. It is a largely untouched paradise. On the western shore Pohutukawa trees grow along the shoreline and on the eastern shores there are sparkling white sand beaches. The middle of the peninsula is covered with rainforest - so it has everything.
We drove out of Coromandel Town and went to look at some of the beaches serving the town. They were very pretty - all the more so because it was a gorgeous day.
We then drove back into the town and headed north towards Colville. The area further north of Coromanel Town is an unspoiled paraise - an "off the beaten track" area. On the way to Colville we stopped at Amodeo Bay and Waitete Bay. The road wound further inland, rising over a summit with fantastic views of the valley bleow. Coleville was the home of 'hippy culture' in the 1970's and still retains the relaxed vibe that the hippies are famous for. We couldn't go any further
north than Colville as these roads were on the "not to be gone on at any price list" from the camper van company. Colville was a bit disappointing - it was so laid back that nothing was happening - apart from the odd lone fisherperson! We returned to the car and D drove like Stirling Moss in order to return to Driving Creek Railway, just north of Coromandel Town, where there is a steam train ride. We got there and found out the next available space wasn't until 3.30 this afternoon so we aborted and continued on with our plans.
We drove on to Whitianga (on the highway this time). Whitianga is short for Whitianga-o-Kupe (Kupe's Crossing Place) after the Polynesian explorer who visited NZ before the canoe migrations. Steeped in maritime history, Mercury Bay was also visited by the expert Polynesian navigator and high priest Tkupaia with Captain James Cook, whose crew first sighted NZ in his ship the Endeavor in Oct 1769. It was on this first voyage that Cook visited Mercury Bay and named it to mark the place where his expedition observed the transit of the planet Mercury across the sun in 1769. The town
of Whitianga is the main hub of Mercury Bay - and was a real place. It didn't just have a 4 Square supermarket - it had a Countdown too! Definitely a metropolis!
We drove down the coast to Hahei Beach where we stopped for a beer and pie lunch at a cafe. Hahei is a pretty beach with remarkable rock formations and pure white sand with crystal clear water. After lunch we walked down to Hahei Beach where we realised we would have to negotiate another stream in order to get to Cathedral Cove (Te Whangauni - A- Hei) track.. After yesterday M wouldn't entertain this so we returned to the car and drove to the Cathedral Cove car park. There were no spaces so we returned to the main car park in town and took the $3 shuttle bus up to the start of the walk. (If we had known it was only $3 we would have done this straight away!)
The Cathedral Cove track is a 90 minute walk that leads along the cliff top before descending to the majestic Cathedral Cove, which is named for its gigantic arched cavern that passes through a white rock
headland, to join two secluded coves. The cathedral like arch gives the whole area an air of grandeur while the sandy beach is framed by Phuutukawa Trees providing ample shade. On the way back we took a couple of detours down to Stingray Bay and the, very rocky, Gemstone Bay. There was stunning coastal scenery for the whole walk and we enjoyed it very much. D had dropped the camera case somewhere on the way down to Gemstone Bay on the way out - so we kept our eyes peeled for it on the way back up. Result - someone had found it and left it on a post at the start of the track.
Next we drove on to Hot Water beach (Te Puia), which is around 8km from Hahei. This is a fascinating natural wonder. For 2 hrs either side of low tide you can dig your own spa pool as water from hot springs seep up through the sparkling sands. It was perfect timing for the tides today so, even though D didn't want to drive anymore, we went and did it. We were lucky and found a parking space in the packed car park. You
can hire spades from the local cafe/general store (for digging your spa). We didn't bother as M didn't want to get wet - she had enough of that yesterday! This beach is named as one of the top 10 in the world by the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. We followed the track to the beach and when we arrived we were left in no doubt as to where the hot water was. There was a crowd of people all wallowing in the same spot and the rest of the beach was nearly empty. M dug a hole with her foot and yelped as she got burned by the scalding water. It really was a weird phenomenon and we are glad we made the effort to go.
We continued on to our next destination, Opoutere. This is a very quiet seaside resort and we are looking forward to a chill out here. We have been given a double cabin. We dumped our stuff and went for a walk to the beach. It was a pleasant stroll past a campsite and through some woodland. The beach went on for as far as the eye could see. It was quite winy and
the surf was high. There were plenty of people swimming though.
Once back at the YHA, D had to fight for kitchen space with a load of Czechs - there seemed to be an extended family of about 15 or so. We will go to the beach tomorrow and chill out.
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