COROMANDEL PENINSULA

From our campsite at Opoutere on a beautiful beach site, we drove north on to the Coromandel Peninsula. There is a weather warning out for Monday so the idea was to drive up and back and get to an area more sheltered – I should have know better with Roy!

We stopped a the famous Hot Water Beach with every intention of joining the other tourists and digging the obligatory hole in the sand in a certain place and having your own sauna pool. When we got there it was crazy but fun, there were people everywhere digging holes ( you could hire a spade if needed)

We got our enjoyment just watching the masses and shared a ladies pool which was not hot! Mad fun! One lady made me laugh I was asking her if the water was warm as her elderly husband was up to his waist digging his hole, she said its madness- for kids and men and when he said it was coming warm, she whispered to me – I think he's wet himself!

Drove to the next beach at Hehei and had a paddle in the warm waters of the Pacific then headed north to Coromandel village. Roy wanted to go all the way round the top coast road – just problem it was gravel road and bad weather was forecast. We started up the east side then he changed his mind and we went up west coast. I'm not a fan of gravel roads especially when they’re narrow and I'm on the drop away side!

We got so far and Port Jackson was then only 7km away at the northern tip of the peninsula, so on we drove, there was a Conservation campsite so we pulled in to look.

To cut a long story short we finished up camping there after discussion with the warden regarding bad weather, he told us what was forecast but his gut feeling was it wouldn’t stop us getting out in the morning.

So if we miss the plane when we get cut off its Roy's fault and the wardens gut!

It is a beautiful peaceful bay, we'll see what the night brings – rain and wind forecast tonight.

PADDLING IN THE PACIFIC AND ITS WARM!

OYSTERCATCHER

KINGFISHER

HOT WATER BEACH

HOT WATER BEACH OR MAYBE LUKEWARM!

CRAZY GUYS DIGGING FOR HOT WATER

NOT ROY!

COROMANDEL PENINSULA

TWISTED TREES ON COROMANDEL

GRAVEL ROAD

                                                         COROMANDEL BAYS

WILD TURKEYS

PORT JACKSON

OUR BEAUTIFUL SPIRITUAL CAMPSITE!

WHAT A VIEW FROM OUR BED!

NIGHT BEFORE THE POSSIBLE STORM

So much for rain overnight – not a drop but we shot off early to get over the gravel roads before the storm arrived.

We left the remote, beautiful Coramandel and the rain started and has not stopped yet but the winds have not appeared, supposedly now tonight.

We have driven all day south then up north through the middle of Auckland on the motorway which was a “joy” took 45 minutes and now we at the west coast in Northland at Mangawhai, hoping to do a walk tomorrow as legs are seizing up!

LEAVING COROMANDEL IN RAIN

LOVE THESE TREES AND CANT FIND OUT NAME - THEY ARE SO PERFECT IN SHAPE

AND THESE ARE A CLOSE UP OF THE BRANCHES - GORGEOUS!