Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Today JB got well filthy in the Coromandels.
As I left Papakura, in complete contrast to when I arrived, the sun was shining. However, as I headed for the Coromandel Peninsula, the clouds and showers returned. Thankfully, they were shortlived and the sun shone for the rest of the day.
The peninsula is across the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland and on the east side the beaches are lapped by the Pacific. It is dominated by the Coromandel Ranges, a group of mountains that stretch from east to west.
It was up the east side that I headed for first. The road twisted and climbed into the mountains offering fantastic views of the Pacific coast.
I left the road to make for Hahei. There, on a beautiful sandy beach, I boarded the Hahei Explorer. This is an inflatable that reached speeds of around 25 knots as it showed me and my 5 fellow passengers a selection of local geological wonders. We ventured into caves, a blowhole, saw shoals of blue marlin and snappers in the clear blue water before finishing at Cathedral Cove. This can only be reached by boat or a long walk from the car park. The rock here is formed from volcanic ash so can be sculpted by the sea and wind into beautiful shapes. The Cathedral refers to a huge hole in the rock that would otherwise separate the cove into two beaches.
This was without doubt the best cruise I've ever done. It was both informative, thanks to our skipper and guide Tim, and exhilarating as we dashed between the features.
Next I headed across to the west side via The 309 Road which for most of its 21km length is unsealed. In the middle they were maintaining the road, which meant it was muddy and JB got very dirty as a result, but she coped with the conditions well.
My destination was The Driving Creek Railway and Potteries. This narrow gauge railway snakes up the mountainside using a series of switchbacks to reach The Eyefull Tower at the top, offering stunning views.
The railway exists thanks to the drive and determination of one man, Barry Brickell. He is a well known potter in New Zealand who, in 1974, grabbed the opportunity to buy a piece of land next to where he was living as he required more space when fellow artists stayed with him. The land has plenty of clay, but it was difficult to get it to his workshop, so he built a railway that was initially only about 200 yards long. He had no money so used second hand rails from mines etc. He then decided to see how far he could extend it. It was quite an undertaking as his land is steep and densely forrested. After 15 years it was about halfway up his land, and he opened it to the public so he could make his bank manager happy. Eventually, he reached the end of his property and, literally, the end of the line. It features 5 switchbacks, several bridges, 3 tunnels and a clever loop to climb 105 metres. All trains have been built in the on-site workshop.
The site is still used for it's original purpose of encouraging visiting artists, so there are various pieces of art everywhere.
Finally, they have undertaken to replace all non-native trees on site with native varieties. All profits from the railway go towards this endeavour.
When it was time to leave, I drove down the west coast. Most of the road is at sea level and closely follows the contours of the coast, so is another spectacular drive.
After a couple of hours I arrived at Waihi Beach, which is very beautiful and was totally deserted by the time I got there. After enjoying the solitude for a while, I made for the town of Waihi, which is famous for its goldmine. The old mine was a typical network of tunnels, and the old cornish pumping house stills stands. The current mine though is a massive pit.
I dined in town at The Sterling, enjoying a succulent fillet steak followed by chocolate mudcake. Talking of steak, so far while travelling around the country I have seen many more cows than sheep.
Today JB covered 350km.
- comments