18 November 2005 – Coromandel


Trip down: SH1 (well there isn't really much of a choice) - SH2 - Mangatawhiri - Mangatangi - Miranda - Waitakaruru - SH25 - Pipiroa - Orongo - Kopu - Thames - Tararu - Whakatete Bay - Ngarimu Bay -Thornton Bay - Te Puru

Saturday Drive: Te Puru - Thornton Bay - Ngarimu Bay, Whakatete Bay - Tararu - Thames - Tararu - Whakatete Bay - Ngarimu Bay -Thornton Bay - Te Puru - Waiomu - Tapu - Te Mata - Waikawau - Kereta - Manaia - Te Kouma - Coromandel - Oamaru Bay - Koputauaki Bay - Papaaroha - Amodeo Bay - (Waitete Bay) - Colville - Otautu - Waiaro - Waitoitoi - Paritu - Fantail Bay - Goat Bay - Port Jackson - Fletchers Bay

Trip back: Fletchers Bay - Port Jackson - Goat Bay - Fantail Bay - Paritu - Waitoitoi - Waiaro - Otautu - Colville - Amodeo Bay - Papaaroha - Koputauaki Bay - Oamaru Bay - Coromandel - Te Kouma - Manaia - Kereta - Waikawau - Te Mata - Tapu - Waiomu - Te Puru - Thornton Bay - Ngarimu Bay - Whakatete Bay - Tararu - Thames - Kaurenga Valley - Kopu - Orango - Pipiroa - Waitakaruru - Miranda - Kaiaua - Tapapakanga - Kaiaua - inland route (less winding bits), back on to SH2 through Mangatawhiri, and then SH1 at the Bombay turn off - home

End Mileage: 171799

Start Mileage: 171234

Distance Travelled: 565

Left work at 3:30 pm. Good to be able to just get in camper and go rather than having to do the side trip (even though it's short) to change vehicles. So on to the Southern Motorway - and there we are in a traffic jam, woo hoo - good start. At least there was some movement so we are slowly heading south. Nothing on the radio about it so just normal Friday afternoon challenges, oh joy.

Made it to the SH2 turn off and off we tootled. First stop was the Castle Diary at Mangatawhiri where we had an ice cream.

Then rather than following the main drag turned off towards the coast to travel down via Miranda.

Made it to Thames about 6pm and shock horror - got to the Kopu Bridge and straight across, the lights were green. Apparently this never never happens… Probably should have stopped to take a photo of this phenomenon but if we'd done that the lights would have turned red…

Stopped at Pak 'n' Save to stock up on food items we hadn't purchased previously - staples like mince, bacon, steak, milk, salad vegetables, cheese (well they had Triple Cream Camembert and I just had to try that after others extolling it). After all we had the bagels and coffee bags. Gee this tripping around in BILITY is going to be so tough. Had a quick chat to Brett McGivern (Jan's brother) who was also doing his food shop there.

Back in BILITY and off to the camp site at Te Puru. We got there about 7pm so still daylight:
Racing Rabbit had a difficult days drive:
The site we selected:


Good to see that we get the pre-requisite family of ducks at the site. Guess they come along to check us out to make sure we are of the calibre of people they want to have stay.

Pretty sure we met with approval.


Bit of a walk before dinner, the stream from the beach, just behind the camp site::
and looking the other way


The drift wood collecting begins:



Hard time cooking dinner, even tougher time eating it NOT, tough life this camping:


Saturday 19 November 2005 - Te Puru to Fletchers Bay

Started off the day with a stunning breakfast of Bagels, Bacon and Coffee. How sad is that.

Then of course the dishes with Racing Rabbit ready to help us out if required, he actually does quite a good job of supervising and I'm sure will have many opportunities to do the same.


We went back to Thames to have a look at the Saturday morning market. Lots of food, plants and nick-nacks. Of course found a good coffee location - "Solo", also recommended by a local was "Checkers" but even we could only try one! Also managed to have a look at the local Catholic School Fair, mind you by the time we got to it there wasn't much happening other that people shutting up their stalls. We weren't able to find a flip-side toaster but did manage to find a toaster that could go on a gas element from the local Hammer Hardware store so we brought that to try tomorrow morning, oh and a solar shower.

On the road again about 11 am and off north. Some nightmare hills and some stunning scenery.



Oamaru Bay for lunch, a cuppa and a look at the view.



Racing Rabbit spent some time looking at the view as well:


Rex had to show Racing Rabbit how to be able to relax and look at the view at the same time


Sign at Oamaru Bay, a tough life on the Coromandel…
Just had to get BILITY and the Palm tree, shame about the pole!


Then back on the road again and oh dear, more awesome coast line and…

Oh look, drift wood collecting. Can never have enough drift wood.



Ford on a Ford, well that won't happen too often, have to get the sad sad puns in somehow:


Pit stop at Granite Quarry Wharf. Racing Rabbit came out to have a look as well, seems he just likes to keep an eye on what is going on:


Yip, BILITY is still coping and so are we.


Did I mention the stunning scenery?


A man on a mission
Racing Rabbit had to check out the water as well just in case he felt like cooling off.
AND even a small pod of dolphins (which of course all dived just as the picture was taken but they were there).
More scenery, just gets better.


We made it to Fletchers Bay about 4pm.

Looking at Fletchers Bay from the road in (and out I guess).



Parked BILITY where there was a view (difficult to find a spot where there wasn't a view really).

Some pictures of the view from where we parked BILITY:
Woo hoo, flowering Pohutukawa Trees, got to be a good sign for a long hot summer.
And yes the camp site does have ducks.


Watched some people go out in their kayak and another 2 lots go out in their fishing boats. We lazed around - even managed some book reading in the sun/shade - whichever was our own preference. It was great just to sit and relax and not worry about driving and lovely listening to the waves on the beach and the sounds of the local animal life, and oh, did I mention the stunning scenery?

We had some wine, cheese and crackers - can't be seen to be slumming it. Thought we'd better do something a tad physical before dinner itself so off for a pre-dinner amble along Fletchers Bay and back to the backpackers' accommodation.



Cows on the next beach round from Fletchers, guess they are allowed a day at the beach as well.


Had dinner (pasta and meat sauce meal), and oh ok, as was insisted a bottle of sparking Shiraz.

By the time we had finished dinner the first lot of people in their fishing boat had come in. It was good of them to turn up for after dinner entertainment and boy were they entertaining. They beached their boat (fair enough) and one of the three on board got out and got the tractor started, trailer hooked on and reversed it towards the boat to then, as you'd expect, get the boat on to the trailer.



Well, were they ever making a major mission out of the job. The trailer was moved back and forth, the boat was hooked, the winch was started, there were some awful loud bangs and noises coming from there direction. It took so long that the second boat came back, beached their boat and seemed fine and dandy. Unfortunately we couldn't hear the conversation between the two boat 'skippers' but it must have been highly entertaining as next thing we know the trailer being used by the first lot is now being used by the second lot. The only thing we can think is that the first lot were putting their boat on the wrong trailer, no wonder it wouldn't work too well. Anyway the second lot got their boat on their trailer and hauled it away. They did come back though to help the others put their boat on their OWN trailer… Sigh, who needs TV when this type of entertainment is out there for free. Kayak people came back as well - no trailer there so no majors! After that it was time for bed.

Sunday 20 November 2005 - Fletchers Bay to Home

Left camp about 8:30 am - decided to change the view for our breakfast location! One last look at Fletchers Bay. (Also meant we could get over the horrid gravel hills before it got too hot and BILITY decided to freak out both of us with its temperature challenges.)



Did I mention the views were stunning?
The bay before Fletchers is Port Jackson, a bit more organised as far as camping is concerned and a bit bigger.


After all that stopped about 9am at Granite Quarry - well it is a great view. (Have I mentioned the stunning views all along the coast?)



Racing Rabbit waiting patiently for his breakfast...


…but it was worth the wait…



Back on the road again, ooops, 10:19 and first drift wood collection session of the day:



Hmmmmm, I'll try being arty with the camera



OK maybe I will just stick to non arty shots

Another horrid hill - which BILITY had no problems on and then stopped in Coromandel "town" for lunch - we went to Success Café (where we went for the trip down here in January 2005. Lovely café, great food, coffee and service.

Gee, new mud was dangerous but didn't realise that the people visiting (or is it for the locals) needed such "subtle" signs - sign (and ramp) at the Coromandel "town" marina.



Then off to Thames - managed to find the road to take us up to the War Memorial, well it was sealed.

Different view of BILITY - a lot on that roof



Then there is Thames itself



Oh, another view from another location!


We did stop at Kopu - well couldn't go a weekend without doing some sort of shopping (other than food). OK OK - Bendon factory shop which is always worth a stop. We both brought some gear so not just for chicks. Bright yellow Ferrari in the car park so parked next to it - the yellow attraction after all. BILITY looked much better.

Then off on the road again to catch up with the Lendrums and CRACKER-JACK at the Auckland Regional Park - Tapapakanga - where they were staying for the night. So up the coast road past Miranda and Kaiaua, past Wharau Regional Park and then we did find Tapapakanga. Even found the Lendrums OK.


Their camp site view:


This camping life is so tough.



Ohhh, back at Kaiaua - fish 'n' chips not as good as last week though, bit of a disappointment.



The final view (above) before reality hit and we drove home, ok, before it got so dark we couldn't take any more pictures anyway.

Made it back to Haslip Manor about 9:30pm where we unpacked the gear from BILITY.

Great trip, awesome weekend, stunning scenery (did I mention the scenery)? Mind you we both did admit that next time maybe we wouldn't do so much driving so we could actually sit back, relax and enjoy the camp sites we stayed at. But you've got to do these insane trips to realise they are just a little bit too much for a weekend!


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