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Published: September 30th 2006
If Auckland appears to have hit the 21st century running, you don't need to travel too far to discover that the 1980's are still alive and kicking elsewhere.....indeed this might be generous as the music in the Goldfields Shopping Centre in Thames was distinctly 1974. Thames as you would guess from the above is a former gold mining centre that has found modern day solace in being the regional town for the Coromandel Peninisula and having the longest straightest shopping street in NZ.
The drive to Coromandel Town was a very scenic wind up the coast - a delightful little town that has found it's niche after gold in cappucinos and art galleries and boasts a truly fine fish and chip shop (that knows what scraps are!!). The backpackers at the Lions Den also takes some beating with an enthusiastic owner who made seafood chowder meals and pancake brekkies.. and for the price of the petrol we were also treated to a tour of the far north of the peninsula, taking in such novelties as sheep worming and lamb docking. The unmade roads in these parts are punctuated by fantastic beaches and $1 million weekend retreats for rich Aucklanders.
We moved on with some regret to the east coast of the peninsula and Mercury Bay, where Capt Cook spent sometime taking in the sights a few hundred years before our arrival. We left the backpacking crowds at Whitianga and headed for Hahei to provide better access to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. The latter has thermal springs exposed at low tides - get your spade and dig before immersing yourself in very warm water or alternatively wait for a kid to dig a suitable hole, get bored and then acquire it. The soak would have been of more use mind, after the return journey to Hahei on our dodgey rented mountain bikes. The shuttle between Hahei and the ferry point at Whitianga by the nice people at the Purangi Winery was much more comfortable and included free wine tasting, free kiwi fruits and a spin to check out the lookouts over Cooks and Lonely Beach. A blog entry for New Zealand wouldn't be complete without a weather report - at least 25 degrees and bright sunshine for the last 4 days......it can't last, can it?
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Coromandel Peninsula
