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Published: January 1st 2008
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Smiling Sal!
A long hard drag but worth the view! Here I am at the summit of the Pinnacles! Coromandel Peninsula DATE VISITED: 24,25,26 (ISH) DECEMBER After spending half a day purchasing a decent 3 man dome tent from Auckland we proceeded south to a little peninsula known as the Coromandel south east of Auckland (North north east New Zealand) . We were prepared to see loads of Kiwi's here as most of them head this way for their Christmas break. We were right!
We decided after a few budget-reviews on our finances that it would be worth camping some nights as it is so much cheaper - we would pay back our tent in a week, and then after that it would just be savings after savings 😊 Our first stop was in Thames which like many towns around here are all built on a central through-fare lined with shops and cafes. There was a nice estuary with yachts and fishing boats which made a pleasant walk in the evening - apart from that the town was really just to act as a base. Our tent pitch was in a hostel garden - quiet but unfortunately the ground was quite hard and a gale blew through the garden - we had a rough night The next day we headed off
The Pinnacles
As filmed in Lord of the Rings though I am not sure which bit! to do the 'Pinnacles' which was a rugged mountainous outcrop in a scenic reserve about an hours drive away.
http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/The-Pinnacles.html
This walk was real hard work - probably one of the steepest I have done but it meant achieving good altitude in a relatively short distance. My knees were in serious agony by the time we got to the top - where we had to climb step ladders on the rocks themselves ( almost vertical) to get to the peak. It felt amazing when we made it ( about 3.5 hrs climbing) and the views were superb. The walk on the way up passed through lush forest/bush waterfalls, bubbling brooks - it was very pretty and there was hardly anyone around at all. After the walk my legs told me what I had done - 8 hrs hike and very intense!
After spending a night in the southern area of Coromandel we moved over to the East side the next day which took a few hours. We got to a place called Hot Water Beach where 2 hours either side of low tide, people can dig a hole in the sand and warm up their bums with
Volcanically heated sea water (from deep underground of course!) but when we got there it was (Christmas Day)! and loaded with Chinese Tourists. There is only a very specific area on the beach where you can get to the hot water, but for what it was worth we decided to give it a miss. It was still funny seeing all the crowds frantically digging their holes, only for a (big!) wave to come and wash it all away! haha. Hot Water beach has horrendous rip currents and is apparantly one of the worst beaches for drowning in New Zealand - despite this we still saw a few brave surfers come for the waves which were fantastic!
A little up the coast was Cathedral Cove - a beautiful secluded cove which we walked down through thick bush from the carpark at the top. We swapped this with Hot Water beach, doing it in the morning to avoid the crowds - GOOD MOVE!. We chilled here for a while after taking some very posy photo shoots (you cant blame us!) before heading onto our base for the night.
Unfortunately our hostel for Christmas Day (yes this was Christmas Day!) was
Cathedral Cove
East side of the Peninsula packed with rowdy young backpackers which made the place feel more like a student hall of residence than a hostel. It drove us both up the wall from the moment we entered! Although first impressions seemed positive in that the woman told us there was a free barbecue the night before (Christmas eve) it went quickly down hill as our tiny double room was, as we discovered, tucked away next to a Dorm for 12! The room was windowless, dark and very small...we really didnt like it here. Luckily Christmas Day started well with seeing the above 2 attractions and swapping the room to a double. The host was a bit odd (a lot like that here!) and she lived -with- the backpackers sharing her lounge with the travellers and her 10 yr old son.. mmm
The afternoon of Christmas was mainly spent with me doing this! as the weather decided to chuck it down! I wrote my blog with the sound track of a few well known guitar songs that a fellow traveller or two were singing near by... It was most strange and certainly didn't feel like Christmas!
After a couple of days spent in Whitianga
Cathedral Cove
(photo take under the rock as the tide went out) on the east coast we headed up north further to the top of the peninsula before ending up in Coromandel Town. The countryside en route was very pretty and full of forested rocky hills and windy roads. It felt quite remote and we passed some really pretty bays - I think the highlight for me was driving on the coastal highway which kept us company pretty much all the way up the eastern side...
Coromandel would be a good place to go when the Kiwis dont but I think we hit it a busy time when all the tourists are out like annoying little flies (us included of course!) The scenic drive and Pinnacles walk (for the work out if nothing else!) were the highlights I think!
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