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Published: January 19th 2007
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Otoma Beach
Pink bikini still on the line at Coromandel..... Starting off the New Year, after taking down our wet tent, we headed off to Thames, the gateway town to the Coromandel. (or as I keep saying, Comorandel).
We booked into a campsite here for 1 night as all others seemed to be booked up until 2nd, it was a nice campsite too, in a tranquil setting of a butterfly farm, as we arrived to put the tent up, it rained again (think its following us). We then had a couple of nights booked at Harbourside campsite in Whitianga (pronounced Fity-anga) North East of the Coromandel, Mercury Bay. On the way up the East coast we stopped at Hahei and at Hot water beach John had a surf, without wetsuit, just board shorts and rashie. At hot water beach, you can dig down and find thermal pools of water at the right time of the tides, spades can be hired from the cafe. We are talking serious garden spades, (not your plastic beach spade). One part of the beach in front of the rock, is busy with tourists digging for their thermal pool to sit in.
Once we were set up on another busy campsite called
Hot water Beach
John just finding to right spot to go in.... harbourside, I felt the need for a restful day. So we had a day apart, John went back for more surf at Hot water beach, you guessed (his new fav), apparently he was in the water 3 1/2 hours. I checked out the little town of Whitianga, did some interneting, sat on the beach with my book and people watching, there were banana boat rides going on in the bay. In the evening John had a massive hunger on, so we walked into town for a slap up meal, a washing up bowl of mussels followed by steak, I had seafood chowder and some lamb cutlets.
The following day we carried on around the Coromandel on the SH25, making our way to Coromandel Town, we took a road off at Kuaotunu, which had a lovely beach and cute little village, in search of Blackjack beach (in John's surf book/bible) we carried on past and along an unsealed road, which took us to Otoma beach, so quiet and beautiful, it was a gorgeous hot day and felt like we had arrived in paradise. There were shoals of fish in the shallow water, leaping out like salmon. The sea was turquoise
Scenic View
View from the top of the hill going into Coromandel Town... and almost white sand. We strolled along the length of the beach and soaked in the sun, sea and surrounding green hills. What a find!!
Back on the road, we climbed an enormous mound, with amazing lookout point at the top, and zig zagged down the other side into Coromandel town. Where we headed straight for 'Information' to arrange our camp site and location, and also booked tickets for the Driving Creek railway to go on the following day. This is an amazing little town, like something out of a story book, you almost had the feeling that there were no locals here, just the holiday makers and tourists passing through. However we did meet a local (Burt) at the pub across the road from our campsite. He was a 7ft tall, Indian looking man with long hair in a pony tail, and hands like shovals, which I found amusing to see him drinking out of a half pint glass. He was friendly, easy going, and possibly a member of the alternative lifestyle that Lonely planet mentions of the people in Coromandel. John asked me to mention that on this evening, while having his smoke, he spotted a shooting
wet tent
Thames Campsite star, it was definately only a cigarette, I saw one too the following night.
We did our touristy thing and went up the driving creek railway, as there were many people, it was a stressful morning, to be amongst people, (excuse me, you are sitting in my seat)in the afternoon it was a releif to get out on the road and explore a little, we found some more really fabulous remote coves, Matarangi, which was reminiscent of the beaches in the South of France, built around a local golf course, with houses that looked like something out of a magazine. The beach was almost empty too. It was quite open and very windy, but no swell. Whangapoua, more sheltered, and had a very small swell, was also really beautiful, and few people on it. As it was such a sunny day, we made the most of it, and had a paddle, and with beach umbrella up, soaked up the fantastic ambiance.
Later back in Coromandel, we found a nice spot to watch the sunset, aren't we the romantics!
It was quite hard to leave the sunny traquility of Coromandel, but it was starting to look cloudy and grey
as we packed up to make our way down the West coast towards Auckland. On the journey back I remembered I had left my pink Bikini on the line to dry (it is probably still there today, blast!). The west coast drive was really different from the east coast, really pretty and calm waters, several harbours and at times drove almost level with the sea.
Congratulations to both Terri on the birth of her second Daughter Phoebe, 30th Dec and to Helen and Ian on the birth of their second daughter Phoebe Elizabeth, 14th Jan.
I have several babies to hug when I get back, including Baby Brooke, (thanks for the wonderful photos), born to my niece Sam, while I've been away.
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Hugh
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Great Journalism
What a wonderful time and what clarity of reporting. Between the writing and the photographs i fell as if i am tracing your steps and enjoying every moment of it. Great pity about the forgotten laundry, you look stunning on the beach. The blue bells are huge compared to our gently little Irish species. have a lovely day