Cormandel 1 - train ride

I've been letting everyday life (and a really nasty cold) keep me from the blog lately. However my mother informs me that she is ready to look at something other than peach cobbler in my last post a month ago. Granted, soon enough it will be peach season in Oregon.. Yum! 

Well back here in New Zealand I went for a mini road trip with some friends last weekend. We were in Auckland for a conference and decided to make a weekend of it.  It's the off season so there are few people or cars. It made for a very lovely weekend.  


I also feel in love with the Impreza we were driving.  Although I considered trying to buy it from the rental car company (its as though any thing is for sale here, you just have to ask), I'm now looking for one around here - too bad its a 'boy racer' car here which makes it frequently stolen and hard to insure... silly because normally I'm more into practical cars, but suddenly I want one of these!

We then decided to go for a tourist trap. A really lovely one that I highly recommend.  Its a train ride on private property that also is a pottery studio / native bush reserve.
 











and below is a photo that reveals the hike we took after the train ride.  If you click on the photo, you should be able to see black dots that mark our path from the car park up a hill and then down to the bay flats.

Cormandel 2 - hiking around Coromandel Town

After the train ride, we went for a walk, starting in this very damp parking lot.   I was yearning for my rubber boots, because a puddle like this is just too tempting. My trip mates though I was crazy I think as I eyed this mud puddle....



At the start of the trail you could some of wind damage from the recent storm that passed through a few days before our arrival.  I am always impressed with how trails in New Zealand often start near development with a path between houses, fences, or yards that connects the bush trail with the road/parking lot. It is very nice to see that one built house doesn't block everyone from being able to access a nature reserve.



This view is looking back towards the train area and the town of Cormandel


and these views are looking west /northwest.



After we reached the top, we walked down to the harbour side.  The tide was out, but I couldn't help being confused by these trees submerged in silt. I don't know if it was related to the storm or if its just the way they grow. Please comment if you know, I'm curoius!

 

Then at the end of the day, we enjoyed meals of cheese, cheese and more cheese.  The little town has an amazing shop with fruit rollups/leathers, cheese, salami's etc.

The cheeses on the plate include cumin gouda and a basil cheese that was intense but good.  

I still am cracking up about my purchase of fruit leather.  People were stopping me in the street to ask what it was!  I explained that it is fruit pulp that you dry in a deyhrator.  People were very curious about how you eat it, think that it must be spread with something or eaten with crackers... I even had people wanting samples of this crazy exotic thing I was eating.  I thought it was hillarious, particularly because I had bought the stuff just up the street and was something I just grew up with!

Corrmandel 3 - driving to Hahei

After Cormandel, we drove over the hill to make our way towards Hahei.  Here is the view looking east:


Earlier in the year, several locals had told me that the Cormandel had changed a lot since I was there in 1999. They spoke of huge mansions, million dollar bachs, and ugliness. I was very worried.

I was relieved to see that my worst fears weren't not realized.  Then we drove to Buffulo Beach, while not my worst fears, I suspect this is what the people were talking about.  It is a very odd place now.  Lots of big fancy houses, at least by kiwi standards, that sort of reminded me of a less tasteful Sunriver.  The point of the Cormandel is a place to get away from it all - its about 3 hours from Auckland and unlike Sunriver, the golf thing here just seems really odd to me.  My car trip mates also made similar comments.  It is like a suburb--- for vacations.  yuck!



That said, the beach was really pretty and I enjoyed walking in the surprisingly warm water!

Coramandel 4 - Hahei area

On our last day, we stayed at a campground near Hahei Beach on the East Coast of the pennisula.  The campground was next to the beach in the photo below.


and was really right next to the beach. This Tui here was the only thing between the campground and the beach!


The next series of photos is a progression from the campground walking north up the beach, over the head land and down to Cathedral Cove 





The sand was layered with black and white sand, creating interesting natural effects such as these rivulets of water flowing to the sea

as well as an interesting design option for sand castles.


You can see in the photo below just how much the beach was impacted by the recent storm.

The fisher folks were hoping to catch snapper, but that they weren't too worried if they got something else for dinner.





This is the enterance to Cathederal Cove Beach.  









and then it was time to go home to Wellington. But luckily home is really beautiful!  On Monday, I walked to work with this as my scenary. Pretty  easy transition back to work post-vacation !

My only regret is that I wasn't able to stop in and see my friend's family who live on the Fifth of Thames. The timing wasn't quite right for us to pull it off en route to the airport. oh well, at least I know that I'll be back that way soon enough. Too bad it isn't closer to welly!