​THE COROMANDEL PENNINSULAR  - LIVING THE DREAM

 

 

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Our reality in New Zealand in February was such an utter contrast to what it was like for those at home in the UK. In my blog of the time it was tempting to play down our experience. We saw a couple of fleeting glimpses of rain, mostly barely noticeable drizzle: perhaps about 15 mins in total over three weeks.  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​We left the family to enjoy unfettered access to their normal weekly regime of ‘kindy’, school and work. We travelled slightly South and East to the Coromandel Peninsular. In crude terms it is a 10 - 20 mile wide mountainous range rising to heights similar to Snowdonia and covered in temperate rain forest.

 

 

 

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Being a peninsula, it is surrounded on three sides by miles of beautiful coastline with a large number of breath-taking beaches. Imagine the best of Cornwall, Pembroke and North Wales all rolled into one and add a temperate sub-tropical climate.

 

 

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Our first four nights were in the small coastal town of Coromandel that gives its name to the whole peninsula. We had an airbnb “room” in a fabulous home with its own pool. They kept the pool cover on during the day to reduce evaporation! The water was 32 - 34C.  Drought water use restrictions were in place. Pool and poolside relaxation was just the ticket alongside exploring the area.

 

 

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We took a quirky rail journey up through the forest to a great viewing point. It was originally started by a potter to fetch clay down to his pottery. When people began to ask for rides he got the vision for this tourist attraction and conserving the adjacent forest. He spent his whole life building this railway largely by himself.  The second photo brings a whole new meaning to the term 'bottle bank'. The construction work would have been very thirsty!

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We also visited three other local tourist attractions. New Chums Beach, only accessible by boat or a 40 minute walk is said to be one of the best in the world.

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We visited Cathedral Cove by boat. Three hours sailing  a real treat!​​​​​​   ​​​​​​​Being relatively close by, we made a quick visit along with a hundred or so others to Hot Water Beach. If you dig in the right place at low tide you can have your own thermal pool as hot spring waters rise to the surface through the sand.

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The family joined us for the weekend. We rented a Beach Bach in the small coastal community of Onemana.   The original Beach Bach (pronounced ‘batch’) was a modest shed type holiday home. With the low population and loads of suitable coast these were accessible to many and an essential element of the Kiwi dream lifestyle. The wealth and dominance of Auckland is changing that. Modest holiday homes are gradually giving way to seaside designer properties.

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Onemana reflects this perfectly. Lesser properties away from the beach can still be bought for under $500,000 (2 NZD currently almost exactly = £1). But there are two large newish sea front designer pads on the market for over $2m and one plot for $0.79m. If not already the case, the dream is becoming very exclusive.

 

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We were there for the 2nd weekend of their autumn term. Very few houses were occupied. Almost all are holiday homes. The beach was great. It was an idyllic weekend to live the New Zealand dream!

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WORLD FAMOUS IN NEW ZEALAND

PAERORA & NEARBY     ​Not so much the 'Kiwi Dream': perhaps a touch like Oswestry!?

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After  our stop off at Dubai Marinaon the way to New Zealand and several weeks enjoying the prosperous areas of Auckland and one of their seaside playgrounds, we spent some more days away from the family. This time we stayed in a small rural town south east of Auckland that most visitors just drive though: Paerora.   ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​L&P (Lemon and Paeroa) is its main claim to fame. L&P was humorously advertised as “World famous in NZ”. This phrase became a national saying. L&P is the NZ equivalent of Scotland’s Irn Bru. In 1907 it was created by adding lemon to the carbonated mineral water of Paerora. Now it is manufactured by Coca Cola ... such is life! above: the Ginger Beer version​​

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What attracted us was the Karangahake Gorge just up the road. The whole area was the focus of the first of several gold rushes in NZ when gold was discovered in the gorge in 1852.

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We did several walks up the gorge and saw the remnants of the mines and the ‘stamper batteries’. The gold here was mined from volcanic seams. The ore was crushed and the gold extracted by water, chemical and other means. The Victoria Battery, above, near the gorge only closed in 1952.

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Gold is still being mined locally but only under a prospector’s licence: even gold-mining has become environmentally controversial. As one would expect given this large opencast mine further up the road.

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Gold and other mining often encouraged railway construction. Karangahake was no exception. Here, we walked through the impressive tunnel which was just over one kilometre long. An exemplary example of Victorian determination and engineering. ​​​​​​​​​​​​It reminded me of the light at the ‘end of the tunnel reflections’ described on the Dubai page. The light at the end of a one kilometre tunnel is a minute dot when you start.  ​​​​​​​​​​

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What struck me particularly about Paerora were the cars in the supermarket car park! There were hardly any new cars and up-market SUVs. The shops in the main street were modest with a fair sprinkling of down market charity shops ..... all very different to Auckland... reminiscent of Oswestry several decades ago..... a small country town. I’m more an old country bumpkin than a city slicker!     ​​Speaking of old, our airbnb host had this on her deck... a remnant of empire. When I was about ten I went on a visit to the Coventry factory. G.B. used to be the largest exporter of tractors.

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THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

 

 

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The family joined us at another idyllic location for last weekend. We stayed at 'SurfPad Pataua'. Our hosts made their living from the self-catering unit we used, giving surfing lessons and making high quality hand-crafted work boots.

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​​Pataua was a little remote: no shops and some 30 mins drive from the nearest town, Whangarei. Seaside ‘wonder palaces’ were less in evidence. There was a more laid-back homely feel.  It was a great place to absorb the rhythms of sand and sea. Matt spent hours surfing.  Round the corner the estuary was a large warm swimming pool for all ages.  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​A weather system crossed over and we had our first few hours of rain since we arrived. Again the family returned to Auckland after another delightful weekend. We took a few more days to explore the area and coasts north of Auckland

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Despite the rain, the owner of our Airbnb was having to bring in tanks of water. We were on a hill close to the coast and could see the sun rise over the Pacific alongside one of the many islands just offshore.

 

N.Z. sits in one of a number of kinks in the International Date Line which otherwise would almost nudge the most easterly point of NZ. We were on the other side of the world. With NZ summertime we were 13 hours ahead of the UK.  

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We did the Mangawhai Cliff walk: supposed to be one of the best in NZ. It was spectacular but quite demanding for septuagenarians!

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After several hundred steps cut into hill for the path going up, we managed easily a section that the guide book described as “up and down on the same level”. Having done a significant section of the South West Coast Path, which if completed is equivalent to going up and down Everest four times, I could not help but reflect that this phrase was a  interesting linguistic device applicable to many coastal walks!

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With breath-taking views, the benefit of this walk was that the return could be done at low tide along the beach for those prepared to scramble over some rocky stretches as well.

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For our final few nights we stayed within commuting distance of Auckland. The intensity and pressures of city life: density of housing, industrial areas, shopping centres, traffic all gradually ramp up the closer you get..... hence the poetic licence in the title ' the beauty and the beast' .... to wind up some city-loving readers!

 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​However, the amazing NZ geography allows the contrasts to live side by side. We have come across several Regional Parks. Yesterday, we explored Shakespear Park on the end of a ten mile long, wellpopulated, peninsula. This 'selfy-frame' can be found at a number of tourist destinations .... but I could not persuade the subject to perform graceful turns and gymnastics on the bottom edge!

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The park is now a nature reserve literally fenced off with a 1.7km six foot small mesh fence costing $750k. This allows invasive non-native species be eliminated and threatened native species to be re-introduced. I was fortunate to come across a pair of Dotterels. They are an 'at risk’ species.  These peninsulas all jut out into the Haraki Gulf. From their vantage points we could see on the horizon most of the places we had visited: from Auckland in the south; Coromandel in the east, this picture, and back up the coast to Whangarei in the North.

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For our last day by ourselves, we decided to go all the way (at this point about 15 miles in a straight line!) across from the east to the west coast to Kiapara Harbour which is the largest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere. We ended up at a place called Shelly Beach. Masses of oyster catchers were lined up at the edge waiting for the tide to go down and their feeding grounds to be exposed. It was one of our few cloudy days... bright sunshine two hours later.

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POST SCRIPT:  IMAGES FROM THE CUTTING FLOOR

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In six weeks away we flew almost 25,000 miles and drove nearly 1600 miles. I took about 700 pictures. I used only a few of those  to record and share the headline story of our journey. Our visit a few years earlier was intended to be a once in a life time visit to New Zealand.  We ticked most of the amazing tourist boxes on the North and South Island.  This trip was quite different we got well below the tourism belt, explored areas not usually on the foreign tourist bucket list, and saw  things that most of those tourists miss.

 

Here are a few fairly random images, too good to miss, that I have not so far shared.  Images that say everything and nothing. Images that do not show the journey but do tell the story.

 

So, in no particular order:

 

We came across a garden centre with a great sculpture trail  and some interesting takes on normal things like these gates. The ingenious tap and wash basin in their loo took some beating.

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But nothing could challenge the loo at this quirky cafe for sheer imagination and style.

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From outside it was obvious the loo would be different.

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It was! Throughout the whole cafe intricate tiling, using all shapes and sizes and glass tile fragments, made amazing mosaics on irregular shaped rooms. The doors, windows and furniture were all uniquely carved.

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The 'reception area' with its mini atrium and water feature was incredible. It just shows what can be done by thinking outside the box.

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​​​​​​Then there were The Birds ..... the feathered ones of course...... at a good number of the eating places we visited.

 

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Given half a chance, the sparrows will help clear away, even before you finish if you are not careful..

 

 

 

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The Gannet Colony at Bethells Beach on the west coast has grown to around 1000 pairs. The large chicks were on the point of flying and spent ages flapping their wings. Some were so close to the viewing deck you could almost touch them: magnificent sight but a pungent smell from this large colony.

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Most of the large chicks spent ages flapping their wings.. ready to fly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The birds at Shelly Beach were on parade.

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As were a couple of veterans for pulling boats out... this one was carefully held together by tape and string but the essentials were well oiled and ready to go. Don't expect a comfortable ride but admire the can-do attitude which was still alive in much of NZ but seems in scarce supply at home!    Sea-fishing is a massive pastime: boat ownership is an essential Kiwi life-style component ............. plus the old tractor to launch your boat -  my style!

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These next two come under the heading " UK Councils eat your heart out!" If you don't put your bin out the right way round in the right place, it is not collected. This one man, robotically assisted, collection seemed to work a treat.  

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The intriguing home below belongs to the Nursery Web Spider. The female deposits her eggs and builds a web around them allowing the young spiderlings to grow up protected until they are ready to leave.  😒

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In some ways these small things summed up our wonderful second visit to New Zealand. Primarily it was a lovely family time with some tourist bits, mostly off the beaten track, thrown in the mix.  Our second visit to New Zealand was quite different. From Auckland late summer we went back to England's late winter - literally from drought to floods. A few weeks later we were all in lockdown!  Very, very, few people had an absolutely brilliant holiday in 2020.  We did.

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