BrewZone

Coromandel: Auckland’s Easy Getaway

Part 2: The West and Coromandel Town

Our goal for the first night was Coromandel Town. We’d been tipped that the Tidewater Holiday Park had tent-camping sites, nice facilities and good management. Although we were supposed to stop off at the Waterworks park on our way in, given the sketchy weather we decided to get our tent pitched before having any adventures. We were also still suspicious that the amusement park might be a bit too family for us. What is it about pitching a tent that makes me need a nap? Predictably, our biggest adventures that day were lively conversations with the managers Wendy and Mike and a few other guests and cooking a lovely dinner.

Waiau Waterworks
Given our lazy start, the next morning we booked another night on Wendy’s lawn, and then headed off with her encouragement to take a look at Waiau Waterworks. The park is on the same stretch of road as a small Kauri grove and a scenic waterfall walk, so we decided to do the hiking adventures first. Neither was lengthy or strenuous, so we just casually admired the tree ferns and various other trees and vines. Then, joining just two other cars in the Waterworks parking lot, we quickly realized this was not going to have even a hint of the bright colors-kids screaming-family day out waterpark that the name implied. We’d been told to enjoy the lovely grounds, the quirky sculptures and the wildly innovative water works, but we had been fearful that there were other aspects of the park that we should ignore. There weren’t. And since it was so empty, we were virtually on our own as we peddled water cannons, flew down the flying foxes, and generally goofed around on every toy in the park. At peak summer, we probably would have had to share with some kids, but it’s spread out enough that it must only seem crowded on the rare day.

We had brought a picnic, so we bought drinks and then enjoyed a quiet lunch outside the café before heading back in to explore Coromanel Town. Parking back at our camp on the edge of town, we walked the hushed junction that forms the town center. First we checked out the few restaurants and shops framing the wharf on the northward spur before that road leaves town. We then reversed to explore the remaining few blocks on the main road, which bends the other way lined with a few more gift and garden and tackle shops and restaurants. Apparently having a compact 4-Square supermarket and two petrol stations rates as a larger town on the peninsula, though it’s hardly a destination city. Managing not to notice either the museum or the bristling signpost that are the tourist highlights of the town, we headed back for another snooze. This time, we would blame the gray weather.

Driving Creek Railway and Potteries
We’d meant to get an early start the next day so that we could do some intensive touristing as we crossed the peninsula to our next stop in Opoutere on the eastern side. Instead, however, we stayed up much too late enjoying conversation and wine with a couple we met in the kitchen. We finally broke camp and piled into the car around 11 and headed over to the next dubiously attractive family attraction- Driving Creek Railway & Potteries. We figured we’d go in to check out the pottery and glassworks, and then decide about the train ride. Learning that the next train wasn’t until 2, our minds were made for us. Or so we thought, until a few other couples showed up nearly at the same time and were told that a special run would go for six or more people. The train prices seemed a little high and we still weren’t sure what we’d get, but the serendipity seemed too compelling to ignore.
Once again this was no theme park ride. The diminutive railway was originally created to haul clay down the hill to the pottery works. One man’s personal interest proceeded to grow out of control until he’d exhausted his funds. It was only then that he begrudged the public access to his extensive railway system. The one-hour ride took us along 3 km (1.9 miles) of track, up 152 m (500 feet) in elevation, over 8 bridges, thorough 3 tunnels, to the line’s terminus at the Eyefull Tower (his spelling). At the top, the weather had fortunately cleared enough to give an impressive overview of the coastline, islands, and across to Auckland. The real joy, though, came in admiring the carefully restored native vegetation, the distinctive sculptures nestled into the hillsides and the artful decoration of embankments and tunnels. With each of the many turns and reverses it became more obvious that this was a labor of love which we had the privilege of sharing, rather than some cynically designed tourist trap.

Even after our late start and our train ride, we were confident we still had plenty of time before we’d need to set up camp in Opoutere. We decided to drive up toward Colville to take in the northwestern coastal views before heading across. We were a little disappointed to find that much of the roadway was inland just enough that we really didn’t get much in the way of views. And, as with many NZ roads, the steep, winding, narrow road took much longer than expected. After most of an hour of driving, we pulled into one of the few coastal overlooks to picnic in the car and then turned back.

Our only other stop before the east coast was at the Whangapoua Road’s summit, where we copped impressive views over both the east and west coastlines. We had been hoping to go on to Cathedral Cove before reaching Hot Water Beach at its prime low-tide bathing time. Sadly after our extended Colville detour, we had to divert straight to the Hot Water Beach just in time to warm our toes before the cold tides obscured all the steaming sands.

Pages: 1 2 3

This article was written on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 and is filed under Destination. For more articles about: New Zealand (10), Travel (8)

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Related Articles:

• Two Perfect Days in Nelson
• Ten New Zealand Travel Tips
• New Zealand South Island Penguins