Whitianga and the Coromandel Peninsula

 

We were glad the kind NZ folks aboard Evening Star had offered us their mooring right off the Whitianga Harbour. Whitianga is a nice town and we enjoyed strolling through the shops and sipping over-priced coffee. We did some provisioning in the stores and toured the local museum. Emily got to try her hand at bone carving and did a nice job on her fish hook. The fish hook is called Hei Matau in Miori and (among other things) signifies safe passage over water which we can always use more of. We had the "school" to ourselves and the owner even explained to us how to do it straight from the cow bone. We now have a couple of cow bones drying aboard Emily Grace and will add bone carving to future craft days at the Lawler Academy of the High Seas.

The current was screaming past our mooring at 3 to 4 knots and I would have felt uncomfortable leaving the boat on anchor with these swift tides changing direction every 6 hours. As it was, we rented a car and had a whirlwind couple of days. The first evening we drove to Thames, a town on the southwestern corner of the Coromandel Peninsula and had dinner at a fish and chips place overlooking the Firth of Thames (bay). We drove up along the west coast to Coromandel town and enjoyed the views and NOT WALKING. We just made it back to the boat at sunset and rested up for the busy day ahead.

We started the next day with a visit to the Twin Oaks Ranch and Emily and I enjoyed a 2 hour horseback ride. Kim still had the painful memories of bareback riding in Tonga and opted out of this ride. The trek took us over expansive farmland, through beautiful native bush and streams and included a stop at a waterfall. We saw breath-taking views of Mercury Bay, Matarangi, Whangapoua, Great Barrier Island and the Pacific Ocean. My horse was well behaved and we were allowed to move off the trails a bit since it was just Emily, the guide and I. Emily did take one tumble as we charged up a hill, but was back in the saddle in a flash and nothing but her pride was damaged.

The car then took us to Coromandel town where we had lunch and found the Driving Creek Railway. Track laying began in 1975 by Barry Brickell shortly after he established a pottery workshop on land he purchased in 1973. As a railway enthusiast, he saw the practical and environmental advantages of having a narrow-gauge railway system through his rugged scrub-covered land to give all weather access to clay and pine wood kiln fuel. Brickell worked for 15 years and poured a considerable amount of money into railway construction before it was licensed to carry fare-paying public in 1990. The 1 hour round trip on the train took us through replanted native kauri forest and included 2 spirals, 3 short tunnels, 5 reversing points and several large viaducts as it climbed up to the mountain-top terminus. They called the building at the top the "Eyefull Tower" and it did offer great views out over the island-studded Hauraki Gulf with the forested valley and mountains behind.

We zipped back east across the peninsula and saw where Captain Cook observed the transit of Mercury and then to Hot Water Beach. We had read about Hot Water Beach and had to see it for ourselves. Volcanic vents bring hot fresh water up under the sand right on the white sand beach. When the tide is high, the hot water mixes with the cold seawater and is barely noticeable. However, low tide is when to come and we timed our arrival along with about 100 other crazy people. Whole families come with shovels and dug Jacuzzi-sized holes in the beach. The hole fills with 120 degree water and just before it becomes unbearable, a waves washes in with 65 degree water to cool it down. The wave recedes and the Jacuzzi heats up until the next wave. Much fun and Emily almost burnt a tender foot.

Exhausted, we turned in the rental car and slept soundly aboard Emily Grace wondering what we will find next as we continue to explore the Hauraki Gulf.

Tom