The Coromandel is located directly across the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland, and on clear days the Sky Tower (the city's landscape-dominating needle-like structure) can be seen from the
western shore. Tom, a friend of mine from the Anthropology department, felt it would be his good deed of the year to educate my sorry American self on the finer points of rural New Zealand, and I humbly obliged. We drove out of the city at around noon on Friday and hit dense holiday traffic; what is normally a one hour drive to Thames easily turned into two. The slow-going provided me an excellent opportunity to survey the land outside of Auckland, and Tom proved a knowledgable guide throughout the trip. We arrived in Thames without much of an agenda in mind, so we stopped off at Tom's house for a bite to eat. Since Good Friday is a national holiday, Thames was effectively shut down for the day, so we decided to make tracks for Kuaotunu, where Tom's family has a "bach," or summer home (pronounced "batch"). We left just as the afternoon was wearing into night, and this provided for some stunning sight-seeing as we drove up the coast (as you can plainly see). The rolling green pasture hills you see in tourist guides were a constan
t fixture, along with fantastic, craggy coastlines, magnificent white sand beaches, and beautiful bays full of islets. Winding up and over the ridges wore on the car's transmission, but the views we took in were absolutely breathtaking.
The bach was in a lovely spot just across from the beach dunes, and Tom's parents welcomed us with dinner and wine. After a short walk down the beach, we found ourselves beaten by the drive and decided it was time for sleep. The next morning we grabbed a quick bite to eat, explored further down the beach to a dock surrounded by sailboats, and then took off in the direction of Opito Bay, just on the other side of the ridge. At the bay there was a fairly large pa, much like Mt. Eden or One Tree Hill, which overlooked either side of the ridge. We trudged up a stairway that went about halfway to the top before moving on to switchback footpaths. A kumara (sweet potato) storage pit remained on the summit from pre-contact Maori days, and we kept our eyes peeled for adzes, flakes, and other archaeological treasures (of which we sadly found none). The viewshed from the top of the pa was gorgeous, and not even my fear of heights could keep me from eagerly climbing to the edge of it's seaside cliffs.
t fixture, along with fantastic, craggy coastlines, magnificent white sand beaches, and beautiful bays full of islets. Winding up and over the ridges wore on the car's transmission, but the views we took in were absolutely breathtaking.The bach was in a lovely spot just across from the beach dunes, and Tom's parents welcomed us with dinner and wine. After a short walk down the beach, we found ourselves beaten by the drive and decided it was time for sleep. The next morning we grabbed a quick bite to eat, explored further down the beach to a dock surrounded by sailboats, and then took off in the direction of Opito Bay, just on the other side of the ridge. At the bay there was a fairly large pa, much like Mt. Eden or One Tree Hill, which overlooked either side of the ridge. We trudged up a stairway that went about halfway to the top before moving on to switchback footpaths. A kumara (sweet potato) storage pit remained on the summit from pre-contact Maori days, and we kept our eyes peeled for adzes, flakes, and other archaeological treasures (of which we sadly found none). The viewshed from the top of the pa was gorgeous, and not even my fear of heights could keep me from eagerly climbing to the edge of it's seaside cliffs.
We headed back to the bach one last time to pick up our gear, Tom showed me around some of the newer developments in the area, then moved on to Whitianga. Whitianga is pronounced 
"Fiti-anga," with the Maori "Wh" pronounced as an "f' and the kiwi English "ang" pronounced as in the word "hanger." This town is located on Mercury Bay, and is much like a summer town on the Cape or the Lakes Region, with cute boutique shops, quaint cafes, and plenty of tourist amenities. 
Beautiful chalk cliffs can be seen across the bay, and farm land stretches for kilometers in all directions once you get outside of town. We settled in for a nice lunch at a corner cafe, then headed back for Thames, passing the occasional kiwi reserve or odd kauri tree. After dinner and a brief repose we were out at the local pub for a few pints and a few games of pool. Tom knew all the locals, so there was no shortage of opponents.
Waking up in Thames on Easter Sunday was a surreal experience. I've been a city mouse for the last two months, and not waking up to the sound of
traffic and obnoxious undergraduates was definitely welcome. We had a leisurely morning, then set out to investigate Thames' mining heritage. Tom works as a tour guide at an old gold mine, where I got to see the old miner's school, the battery press in action, and got to spelunk through the 19th century tunnels. All in all a great trip; one that gave me plenty of ideas for weekend excursions with my beautiful bride who lives on the opposite side of the globe (for now).
Tomorrow I leave Auckland by air and head for Christchurch, and a week of wayfinding through all parts on the way to Wellington. You can be sure I'll be posting again soon.
"Fiti-anga," with the Maori "Wh" pronounced as an "f' and the kiwi English "ang" pronounced as in the word "hanger." This town is located on Mercury Bay, and is much like a summer town on the Cape or the Lakes Region, with cute boutique shops, quaint cafes, and plenty of tourist amenities. 
Beautiful chalk cliffs can be seen across the bay, and farm land stretches for kilometers in all directions once you get outside of town. We settled in for a nice lunch at a corner cafe, then headed back for Thames, passing the occasional kiwi reserve or odd kauri tree. After dinner and a brief repose we were out at the local pub for a few pints and a few games of pool. Tom knew all the locals, so there was no shortage of opponents.Waking up in Thames on Easter Sunday was a surreal experience. I've been a city mouse for the last two months, and not waking up to the sound of
traffic and obnoxious undergraduates was definitely welcome. We had a leisurely morning, then set out to investigate Thames' mining heritage. Tom works as a tour guide at an old gold mine, where I got to see the old miner's school, the battery press in action, and got to spelunk through the 19th century tunnels. All in all a great trip; one that gave me plenty of ideas for weekend excursions with my beautiful bride who lives on the opposite side of the globe (for now).Tomorrow I leave Auckland by air and head for Christchurch, and a week of wayfinding through all parts on the way to Wellington. You can be sure I'll be posting again soon.
Cheers,
Benji
P.S.- I got thinking about my excursions here, exploring a new country and whatnot, and it made me wonder about how much of my own country I was familiar with. I wondered if there was anywhere worth seeing (besides Alaska) that I'd missed. I guess the only way to know for sure is to check the map...
Guess not. South Island, here I come.
P.S.- I got thinking about my excursions here, exploring a new country and whatnot, and it made me wonder about how much of my own country I was familiar with. I wondered if there was anywhere worth seeing (besides Alaska) that I'd missed. I guess the only way to know for sure is to check the map...
Guess not. South Island, here I come.
No comments:
Post a Comment