Circumnavigating the Coromandel Peninsula

“Haere Mai” and “Welcome”. About an hour’s drive south east of Auckland we embark on our circumnavigation of the Coromandel Peninsula. The treacherous drive on the narrow, two lane stretch of hiway, with no barriers on the cliff side of the road, bring little comfort to the navigator who not once chastised the driver for going to close to the cliff’s edge. The rewards were well worth the white knuckles as the views of the western shores of the Pacific Ocean were magnificent on a beautiful sunny day. It reminded me of the drive down the Big Sur hiway on the eastern extremities of the Pacific along the California coast. The magnificent Coromandel Cliffs, stretching 90 degrees vertically and the road ever perilous to the edge, as multitudes of pickup trucks and cars pulling motor boats for family fishing expeditions, continually threatened to ease over into our lane of traffic. Small fishing and holiday communities were abundant, but despite it being tourist season and the school summer break well underway, the many, many white beaches that stretched for miles were relatively left abandoned for those looking for solace and relaxation. The sole exception, being that of the Hotwater Beach near Tairua, where we spent two evenings.

Though the following day was overcast we ventured out to take in this geothermic phenomenon and though we decided not to dig out and sit in a hotwater pool of our own creation, we did bury our feet into the sand and water and to our amazement had to quickly retreat as the water was so hot it started to burn our feet. A long walk along the beach at Cooks Beach and a short ferry ride over to Whitianga for lunch at a local marina, watching families partake in a favorite pastime of cast fishing into the ocean, was the order, for the remainder of this Sunday afternoon

In contrast, though not surprisingly, the British influence is all around. The drives through the interior of the peninsula on these narrow, though well kept roads was like a drive through the British countryside. A stop at a tea house, with well manicured gardens and a unique gift shop with art gallery, brought back memories of a bygone era.

Prior to leaving this picturesque region this morning, we took it upon ourselves to take a short hike up the local high peak at Tairua, to take in the breathtaking vistas from the summit and the image I remember, will probably be left entrenched in my memory for some time to come.