Trains, hunger and squids

Saturday 21 Mar A mixture of sun and clouds, generally warm. 21C. Drove 150km

The Coromandel peninsular deserves exploring. The scenery is fantastic and swathes of it are deserted. Mining and lumber have taken their toll on the mountains, but slowly the jungle is taking over again. Gold was discovered in the 1890s and evidence of the efforts of miners is still to be seen. Several places have old mining machinery on show, some still working. Most of the mine workings have been surrendered to the vegetation, and several tracks in the area warn not to leave the pathway as open shafts still litter the area. The Kauri logging also decimated the area, but once again, nature has taken over and most signs have disappeared. Fortunately, the Government protects those Kauri that still exist and encourages the planting of new trees. As the trees are known to have a lifespan of well over 1000 years, this is a very slow regeneration.

Over in Coromandel, we take the road north on the western side of the peninsular. Just outside down we come to Driving Creek Road. Not far up the road is the DCR, or Driving Creek Railway. This railway was the brainchild of Barry Brickell, a potter and rail enthusiast, who wanted to access the clay further up the mountain. Built over a period of 27 years, mainly by hand, the line climbs up the mountainside 120 metres in just under 3 kilometres. The gauge of the line is very small, only 381mm wide and winds its way up the mountain by means of spirals, zigzags, tunnels and bridges. The line is balanced on a narrow ledge all the way with the jungle only centimetres from the open carriages. The 'piece-de-resistance' of the route is a double-level viaduct with the train passing over the lower level first and then, after a few climbing twists and turns, over the upper level. Not long after this, the train, a diesel powered three coach affair, pulls onto a wooden deck projecting out over the jungle where is stops and then, after changing points, reverses further up the track. At the end of the track lies the 'Eyefull' tower, a lockout point with great views over the Firth of Thames.

Back at the pottery at the bottom, we head out and choose to drive further up Driving Creek Road which rapidly turns to gravel. Not the best descision really, as it is lunchtime and we have no food, just water. The road took us over the Coromandel range again and down into Kennedy Bay before we realised how far we were from civilization. Already some 15km into a gravel road, we press on through wonderful scenery and pretty bays before reaching a more 'major' gravel road near Waikawau. By now we had been 'doing' gravel roads for 30 or more kilometres, so turned back towards Colville where we finally regained surfaced roads again.

Colville is a very small community, but still manages a country store and, fortunately for us, a small cafe. It also has a community centre, and judging by the programme, it is pretty lively; there was an 'all-day jam' going on the day we were there. The road back to Coromandel followed the coast some of the way and is very pretty.

Back in Coromandel, we explored the town and ate an icecream because it was quite warm.

Heading back over the torturous SH25 towards Whitianga, we turn off at Matarangi looking for the beach. It had turned into a housing development that we got entirely lost in. Finallhy, we managed to escape and carried on east. On the road at Kuaotunu, we turned off and follow Black Jack road towards Otama and Opito beaches. The road was gravel, but soon deteriorated in roadworks to a rubble road and for a couple of kilometres the surface was appalling. Both bays were very pretty and had safe sandy beaches, but the sun had deserted us, so no swim\ming.

Back in town, we decide to eat out and find 'Squids', a very pleasant restaurant next to the Marina. Whilst we ate dinner, we were entertained by a wedding party having a sit down meal in the restaurant across the road.

Hot Springs, Beaches and Birds

Friday 20 March Cloudy at first, later mainly sunny 22C Drove 130km

After a nautical day yesterday, it was back to the car today. Once again we headed south out of Whitianga, which seems to be pronounced Fitianga, to find some beaches. There is a road just across the estuary from Whitianga, at Ferry Landing, but it is an 80km drive to get there. Twenty-six kilometres from Whitianga is a turn off to Cooks Bay and Hot Water Beach which effectively doubles back on the other side of the estuary.

Hot Water Beach is well known as somewhere you can dig a hole in the sand near the sea and it will fill with hot spring water. To modify the temperature, you just let seawater in to cool it down. The only time that this phenomena occurs is 2 hours either side of low tide. Arriving not long after low water, the car park was full and there were lots of people armed with spades on the beach already. We strolled across the beach to the small headland where the springs are and found one or two holes still being used by other people and the tide starting to fill them in. Digging your toes into the sand between theses holes and the sea was an unusual experience as the water under the sand was warm. One of the two springs on the beach reaches the surface from 2000 metres down at 64C!

Hahei was the next stop, situated on a huge sandy bay. At the northern end is a promentary with a carpark on it which marks the begining of the path to Cathedral Cove. After a brief photo-stop, amazed at the hordes of people climbing off buses to hike along the cliffs, we descended back onto the beach at Hahei.

After several hours of lazing on the beach here, we headed on north up the road to Cooks Bay. This is another long sandy bay with virtually no-one on it especially at the northern end where we saw huge shoals of fish splashing around just off the beach. An equally large flock of gulls was in attendence, diving into the water in a mainly futile attempt to catch the fish. Braving the water up to the waist, we stood in amongst the fish for a while. As we watched, a few gannets turned up to join in diving gracefully into the water, some catching fish.

The road continued north and we stopped at Ferry Landing for a coffee and a cake before driving up Shakespear Cliff to the lookout point.

Mercury Bay, where all these beaches and Whitianga lies, was named by James Cook on his arrival in NZ for the first time. The cliff was also named by him as he apparently thought the cliff looked like the bard. A commemerative stone has been placed on top of the cliff recording the occaision.

Finally, we headed back back to Whitianga and the apartment

Wot no Internet?

Thursday 19 March Mainly warm and sunny 23C Drove 80km

One piece of news that we did have last night was that the 'free internet' at 'Eleanor's Place' wasn't going to happen. We had asked the lady of the house, but she told us to ask her husband on his return from work. He didn't really seem to know a whole lot about it, but did say that if we plugged into the phone socket, we could use 'dial-up', but to let them know before we did. Not a good answer. Out notepad has no modem, and dial-up wouldn't support any of the things we wished to access anyway.

So this morning back to the Tourist Information office, to see if they could sort things out. Luckily, they refunded the rest of our money and got us moved into an apartment in the Marina Park Appartments. More expensive than we planned, but a great apartment and wifi internet access (albeit costing $NZ10 per hour). Not only that, but it also had free laundry facilities in the apartment, after we had just paid elsewhere!

We rapidly moved in to the new apartment and headed into town and booked a trip with Sea Cave Adventures for the afternoon. An enquiry was also made about doing some diving on Sunday at Dive HQ a local dive shop.

Following lunch in town, we met Dan down at the quay and climbed on board his boat, We crossed the harbour and picked up three more people before we headed up the coast. The trip took us out past Front and Lonely beaches and the imposing Shakespear Cliffs; the cliffs named by Lt James Cook on his visit to the area in the 1760's. A marine reserve has been set up here on the coast and has improved fish stocks hugely. The next bay was Cook's Bay followed by the wonderful Cathedral Cove, Stingray Bay and Gemstone Bay. Once at Hahei Bay we headed out to the islands and explored several fascinating sea caves where the roof had collapsed leaving a hole open to the sky.

Once back in Whitianga, we set out in the car to explore the gravelled road to Coromandel, the SH 309. This road is 22km long and gravel almost all the way, but it goes through beautiful mountains. Once over the Waia pass, there is a walk to a Kauri grove. The ten minute walk is well worth the effort as the sight of the huge trees is fantastic, they dwarf everything around them. It is a miracle that this grove of trees survived the log-cutters of the 19th century. Unusally, just a short distance from the grove, there is a 'Siamese' Kauri. Two trees that grew close together and as they got bigger, effectively combined at the base whilst producing two trunks.

Coromandel town is quite scenic, but we didn't stop. We took the other 'main' road back to Whitianga which is 44km long as opposed to the 22km gravel road. It is probably even more winding than the gravel road, but has good view from the summit.

Plan B - Escape from the drizzle

Wednesday 19 March - Rain at Rotorua, but sunny and warm on the coast 24C Drove 170km

Rotorua had not got out of bed the right side this morning and it was tipping down with rain when we woke up. Our plan had been to leave this morning and head south, further inland, to Lake Taupo. By the time we got on the road, we could see that this wasn't to be, so we opted for Plan B.

Taupo got booted out the window and we set course for the Coromandel Peninsula instead. A drive around the south and then west side of Lake Rotorua confirmed our change of plan as we couldn't even see the late for low cloud and rain.

Heading up the SH33 north toward, Te Puke (Pookay) if you hadn't guessed, the clouds began to break up and it had got warmer. Te Puke yielded a bakery for a mid morning snack before the large town and port of Tauranga. The outskirts of Tauranga are not much to look at, but the centre of town down by the waterside had been improved with lots of cafes and bars.

Heading north out of Tauranga on the SH2 was a bit like travelling on the A46, very busy! The road to Waihi Beach was a welcome break from the traffic and the beach looked pleasant but we didn't stop. Rejoining the SH2, we continued up to Waihi town. Here the Pacific Highway, now the SH25, turned off toward the coast. Once out of Waihi, the road was very switchbacky and provided the odd glimpse of the sea, but at least there was little traffic on it.

Continuing on north, passing through Whangamata and Taira, we finally made it to Whitianga. The town is on a large inlet and surrounded by lots of islands and bays. After a brief look around town, we went to the Tourist Information office to find some accommodation. They suggested 'Eleanor's Place', a beautiful house directly on the estuary with a pretty garden. We also found a laundrette and got our clothes washed and hung out in Eleanor's garden. The supermarket was the next stop so we could eat at the house, and then after dinner, we walked into town and had an ice cream followed by a beer

Today I have mostly been lying in the bath

Tuesday 17 March Overcast, drizzly but fairly warm 16C Drove nowhere.

The rain, which had hammered on the roof much of the night, had almost stopped by the morning, but it was dizzly and overcast. Wandering into town, we came to 'Fat Dog', a cafe which served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The wine they serve comes from Hatton Estates near Napier; we had seen it in cases there. Toast and jam seemed like a good idea, but when it arrived it the slices gave a new meaning to doorsteps! Nonetheless, it was eagerly devoured on the basis that lunch would have to be missed!

The Polynesian Spa, right on the edge of Rotorua Lake, is large with a number of options for 'taking the waters'. We opted for the luxury version at NZ$ 40and had the choice of 4 open air 'natural' pools set in a jungly setting. The pools, all naturally heated by thermal springs, ranged from 36-42C and were shallow enough to be able to sit on the bottom of the pools. We also got towels, lockers and an exclusive (!) lounge to relax in.

Relax we did. Swapping from one pool to the other lazed around and 'people watched'. We did hear one member of staff, who was showing someone around, say, "People typically stay here for about an hour". We stayed for nearly 5 and really got our money's worth! Although it rained and drizzled on and off all day, it didn't affect us much as we up to our necks in hot water anyway. In the heavier showers, there was one pool with a partial cover over it.

We ventured out into the pouring rain again for dinner at a nearby restaurant before falling asleep at the end of an exhausting day!

Paddling, Volcanoes and Sulphurous Springs

Monday 16 March Rain first then sunshine and a few clouds 24C drove 278km

Despite their night-time activities, our next door neighbours were up early and put their TV on. As previously noted, the walls were very thin, so this distraction woke us up. Bread and ginger marmarlade provided breakfast in the room and shortly after that, we were packed up and ready to go.

Rejoining the Pacific Highway, which we had been following since Napier, the route took us west and soon we entered the Bay of Plenty region, Once again, the road roughly follows the coast through mainly farming communities. At Whangaparaoa, we stopped on a pretty beach and dabbled our toes in the sea, a first since arriving in NZ. Continuing on, we stopped again at Te Kaha for a cup of coffee, again on a pretty bay. For most of the drive, it is possible to see White Island 50km off the coast. This is a very active volcano and whilst we looked, a large puff of smoke rose from the tip of the volcano.

At Opotiki, civilisation finally returns, the first major town since Gisburne a day and half and some 350km back. It is possible to drive by a more direct route of 143km, but the scenic route is much better. We had lunch in a bakery in the main street here in brilliant sunshine. After lunch we wandered around town and looked at the war memorial and a large Maori carving.

We hadn't set off with any real plan in mind earlier, but at this stage Rotoroa seemed like the obvious place to head to, but not too quickly! Just outside Opotiki, we found a long deserted beach and had an after dinner relax in the sunshine. Whilst I went paddling Lynn sat and read her book.

Realising we were getting a little burned we headed back up the road to Whakatane, a larger town on the coast. We took a small diversion that took us through mangrove swamps with lots of herons to be seen before heading generally southwest on the SH30. The road is dominated by a large obvious volcano, Mount Edgecumbe or Putauaki.

As the road enters the Rotorua area, it passes Lake Rotoiti, a very large body of water. Shortly after this a strong smell of sulpher barged into the car; the great smell of volcanic activity! The source of the strong smell is an area called Hells Gates, very appropriate.

Rotorua is a huge town and on the outskirts somehow looks very American. Finally in the town, we head for a campsite to find some rooms, but the site is full. Plan B involves visiting the Tourist Information centre in town. Here, a very helpful lady finds us a motel almost in the middle of town with the unlikely name of the Havana. Name aside, the room on the first floor is fine and outside is a large hot spring fed mineral swimming pool. Dumping the bags, we headed straight for the pool.

Later, a visit was made to the Polynesian Spa to find out details for the next day, before retiring to the Pig and Whistle for some food and beer.

The East Cape

Sunday 15 March Partly cloudy, some showers and light winds 19C Drove 413km

A new roadsign crept into our vocabulary today, 'Pavement Rehabilitation'. Now, to me, that should conjure up a vision of a sad piece of roadside, wrapped in blankets in a peaceful environment, tended by white coated doctors. Roadworks are roadworks where-ever you go, here, they are preceded by a roadsign, perhaps with 'Pavement Rehabilitation' or even 'New Seal'; what does that bring to mind? Maybe something you might see at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire in December? Roadworks, NZ Style, frequently means that the road surface is missing entirely, or the road has been swept down the mountain-side. All roadworks are accompanied by speed restrictions of 30kph, which is widely ignored. As a result, it is not unusual to get a shower of grit or stones from oncoming 4x4's; our hire car has only two stone chips on the windscreen!

After a quick refuelling, Napier soon fell behind us as we headed north up the SH2 on the Pacific Highway. Despite warnings that this could be a very busy road with lots of lorries even on a Sunday, we had empty roads in front of us. On the map this road looks pretty straight; it is not! There are lots of hills and in between them deep river gulleys and gorges, all of which have windy roads going up and down them. After 228km and only one town of any size, Wairoa, we arrived in Gisborne. Gisborne claims to be the first 'city' in the world to see sunrise each day. Some other island nations in the Pacific may dispute this, city as a description is relative. We stopped on the High Street for some lunch and a very busy town, or city, it was too.

North of Gisborne, the Pacific Highway becomes the SH35 and the traffic dwindled to almost nothing the further we continued up the coast. The road roughly follows the coast, but only tantalising glimpses of it can be seen from the road. Shortly after passing through Tolaga, we turned off to Anaura Bay, a short 7km detour. A delighfully peacefully community, Anaura Bay consists of a few houses and a campsite right on the beach. The peace and quiet here is wonderful, the huge beach just had one other person on it, he was fishing surrounded by gulls, oystercatchers and herons.

Back on the 'main' road we stopped in Tokomaru Bay where the choices for an overnight stay were discussed. After consulting the various guides and maps, Te Aroroa and Hicks Bay seemed the obvious places to head to. Both are on the northern end of the East Cape road and after them the road heads west into the Bay of Plenty. En route there, we passed through Ruatoria and Tikitiki, the latter no more than a ghost town.

After a brief stop at a scenic overlook, high above the coast, we wound our way down to Te Aroroa and then shortly afterwards to Hicks Bay. The Hicks Bay Motel is perched on the cliffs overlooking the Bay and has a great view. The motel is a little dated and the walls between rooms very thin, but view from the window compensated for that. The other odd boast for the motel is that they have their own 'Glow-worm Grotto', we found it to be almost a cave, hanging on the side of the cliffs. We had a brief exploration of the bay before dinner and the sun kindly shone for us whilst we were on the beach.

Dinner was eaten in the Motel, a set meal of fish and vegetables washed down with draft beer, adequate but not special. The major entertainment at dinner was the rain which produced a fabulous double rainbow.

Due to the extremely rural location and lack of light pollution, the stars were fantastic, but only one of slept well, the other was entertained (!) by our next door neighbours who 'entertained' each others until the early hours