Journal Day 63 - Coromandel peninsula.

---

Coromandel peninsula.

Decided to get the hell out of Auckland and start to experience New Zealand. I could email architects practices from any computer in the country!

Decided to start by heading south to explore the Coromandel peninsula.

I took the scenic Coastal route through . It doesn't take too long until you're out if the city and able to breath the air of the New Zealand countryside.
The first bit of spectacular scenery came on the approach to Kawakawa bay with beautiful views over the Hauraki Gulf and it's all Coastal scenery from then on.
I purposely stopped in Kaiaua for a visit to their chippy which I'd read to have been voted the Best fish & chip shop in NZ twice. Damn good!
And little settlement Muranda is famous for it's migratory bird wildlife where birds from the northern hemisphere come for an aul break from chilly winters up north. Some migrating as far as Alaska.

First main town in the Coromandel peninsula is Thames. Coromandel has a big gold mining history from the mid 1800's and thames really feels like a
Gold rush town. The Buildings are all quaint timber shops and houses and you could easily imagine the main street in the gold-digging period. But the shops are now all craft shops and trendy cafes.

Stopped at one of the many picturesque little beaches along the Coastal road for a bit of Driftwood collecting.
It looked like people had got a bit creative on the shore here. A little kids hut made out of driftwood, Guy stone towers
Kid on beach practicing stick fighting in front of the sunset. It was his birthday.
BBQ with his dad.
Trevor. Cool guy. Maori looking but with Irish heritage too.
Lived across the road from beach.
Said he has a little house out the back were I can go and stay anytime.
Watched the sunset with them and then headed on to Tapu.

I'd been recommended by Trevor to stay in the Tapu Creek camping park which is a bit off the Coastal road into the Coromandal range. Got there in the dark and found myself a plot and cooked up some tasty hot-dogs.

Got up in the middle of the night for a wee jimmy-riddle and looked up to see the stars brighter than I can ever remember seeing them before. There was not a peck of artificial light for miles around up here.
I Suddenly remembered the existence of the Milkyway. Can't remember ever seeing it so clearly, like a big thick stream of stardust stretching diagonally across the sky. Saw a load of shooting stars and tried to pick out the star-signs. The only sound was the water flowing through the creek right beside my campervan.
I spent a few seconds imagining that the sound was coming from the vast cosmic flow of stardust tumbling infinitely along the Milkyway until i realised I wasn't really stoned and was getting a bit carried away, so went back to the van to sleep.

---