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Published: December 23rd 2010
Friends Reunited - Exploring the Coromandel Peninsula
Arriving in Auckland after a long flight via KL was tiring enough for us seasoned travellers...what we weren't expecting was the two hour mission through security and passport control. We were scanned, searched, x-rayed til we nearly couldn't take anymore. They were checking for drugs, seeds, biohazards, including mud on your shoes, and probably the dirt under our finger nails too!!! Luckily, as arranged our good friend Perg was there to meet us,with his mate Libby, what a relief to see friendly faces after all the official nonsense we'd just gone through.
We went to Libby's house for a much needed coffee and to collect 'BigHorn'..our home/transport for the next few weeks...Perg had organised everything, tents, stoves, pots and pans the works.Not wasting any time I jumped in behind the wheel and drove us across a very sunny Auckland...it felt a lot like London..masses of traffic jams ha ha ha.
Perg's Mum kindly let us stay for a day or two, in order to wash clothes (in a machine what a treat!)sleep and eat yummy roast chicken. I had a haircut, the boys bought some more climbing gear, and after a couple of
nights we were finally ready to start our road trip.
First we headed north east to a rocky coastal area called the Coromandel Peninsula. It didn't take long to leave the traffic and crowded streets of Auckland, and pretty soon we were surrounded by stunning scenery. We took advantage of all the 'lookout points' along the way...for me it was magical to be in charge of our own vehicle again stoppping and starting as we pleased, playing our choice of music, so much better than a government bus in Thailand!!
NZ roads, as I soon discovered can be pretty intense and my driving skills (somewhat rusty) were really put to the test. Up and down twisty turning hill roads, it wasn't unusual to have 30 or more hairpin bends in a row, and not to drive straight for 15kms at a time!!!I obeyed all the signs and made slow and steady progress...in complete contrast to the locals who treat the corners as acceleration points on a speedway home...
We were warmly welcomed by Chris and Cath (parents of good friends of Perg's) into their seaside home, and shared the first of several delicious fish dinners. Chris is a very keen
fisherman and was only too pleased to take us night fishing on the beach, a stone's throw from their house. He used a contraption called a Contiki, which was a little submarine-like device that took 3km of baited line straight out to sea and then after waiting a short while (with a glass of wine) you winch it back in....it was such an easy efficient method of catching fish(mostly Snapper) that it was quickly nick-named harvesting!!! It meant that Chris and Cath were pretty much self-sufficient in fresh fish, yummy. We were invited to use their house as a base for a couple of nights so we could explore the area (thanks a million!). We took ourselves on several coastal walks, along Cathederal Cove, enjoying learning all about the new flora and fauna from the ever knowledgeable Perg. I particularly loved the tree ferns that added a very 'jurassic' feel to the landscape. There were farms and cattle and sheep everywhere...similar to England but sooooo very much more wild and beautiful. At cathederal cove we found ourselves exploring several little coves, beaches, some rocky, some sandy with beautiful rock archways. The sea was calm, sparkly and blue and looked perfect
for swimming...however IT WAS FREEZING, having just come from warm tropical seas in Thailand there was NO WAY we would be swimming without a 10mm wetsuit!!!!
After another lovely evening with Chris and Cath we set off to Hot Water Beach. As the name suggests this beach was quite amazing. There was a small area on the beach where natural hot water springs were covered by the sands. We joined the small crowd of daytrippers, digging and burrowing in the sand in an attempt to create a small pool that would fill with piping hot water creating a Spa Pool, that you could then wallow in. Sounds easy enough....however, every 10mins or so huge waves would surge up the beach destroying most of our sand walls in seconds, leaving us with no choice but to start all over again. It was fun but after a couple of hours we were exhausted and retreated back to Chris and Cath's comfortable refuge.
The next day we decided to drive out along the furthermost reaches of the peninsula, and literally to the end of the road!! It was rugged and windy, and the hundred year old trees had bent at least 90 degrees
in submission to the unrelenting onshore winds...quite dramatic and rather eerie. We discovered a BLACK beach, yes...black sand and pebbles, and spent a lovely hour or so beach combing and watching the cheeky seagulls and nesting oyster catchers with no one else around!
Another less taxing day trip was the Driving Creek Railway, a small 'homemade' railway built by one man over 30yrs. It was originally built to carry heavy clay to and from his pottery and kilns, but soon became a passion...it expanded from and few hundred metres to several kms up a very steep hill and through very thick native bush. He has declared his slice of hillside a conservation area and now uses profits from the railway to replant and maintain the natural bush...all very eco-friendly!
It was finally time to bid farewell to our lovely hosts and move further along the coast. This next mission once again required my sketchy advanced driving skills on steep gravel roads that took us to a remote location overlooking another beautiful bay. We had made to Perg's friend Amy's Bach. Another warm welcome and we met the crew.. a german chap, french traveller, english bloke, kiwi brother, boyfriend and us
3...pitching our tent in the garden and building a massive fire under the stars, our chatty fun-filled evening felt more like being at a music festival than someone's back garden!! We were blessed with amazing sunny weather and even had a competitive game of Petanque!! (french bowls) as the sun set.
After rising early to watch the sunrise over the ocean, we drank coffee in the garden until we were strong enough to make the journey back to Auckland...sad to leave our new crew we soon found ourselves back in civilisation.
Perg had a days' 'stuff' to take care of so Guy and I were left to our own devices in Auckland....with no map of the city we decided to head off and find the one landmark we could see...One Tree Hill...with a long (complicated and political) history and a great U2 song it was a must see...we managed to drive to the top(v.lazy) where we enjoyed uninterrupted views all around Auckland. We treated ourselves to afternoon tea at a fancy cafe before collecting Perg and heading back for a good night's sleep!
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Daryn Groom
non-member comment
Great shot
Hello you guys, just read your blog and searching through your new photos, looks as though you are still having a great time... C and I love this shot... Miss and love you