Coromandel Peninsular

Up at 7am to put the sheets in the washer before our trip to Coromandel. Had breakfast, made a packed lunch and emptied the washer (45mins !) and took the wet stuff round to Liz to put in the dryer. Got off at 08.30 and promptly got lost in Cambridge. Luckily spotted the police station, so went round the block to get directions. After that it was almost plain sailing; went the wrong way at Paeroa, and went up the peninsular instead of across and through the Karangahake Gorge. This caused us a problem later. We stopped at Matatoki at a creamery and bought some artisan cheese. There was a coffee shop where we didn't understand the menu, and were quite surprised with our choice when it arrived, but we drank it anyway. We were entertained by the ducks from next door that kept coming into the cafe to beg, while the assistant had to keep chivvying them back out with a brush.

We continued up the road

 and turned right towards Whangamata and Tairua through the most amazing scenery on a switchback road, that needed more concentration than I could spare, with the views (more ooh-ing and ahh-ing). We reached a junction sending us right to Whangamata, we turned off but it felt wrong, so we stopped to consult the map, but because we had gone wrong earlier we weren't where we thought we were. We drove on for another mile or so, then mother saw Matatoki on the map and realised what had happened; we were on the wrong road. We pulled over in to a picnic place, had a sandwich, it was after 12 and then turned round and went back down the mountain, back to the junction and found ourselves on the right road (for once!). Shortly afterwards we came into Tairua. The reveal was amazing. Down a forested winding mountainside road, round a corner and WOW there it is. Photo of mother in Tairua, and me, also in Tairua. Other pic. is of breakers in the distance where the sea meets the river. As you can see it was windy. We did more coffee and sightseeing, I bought a picture by Kate Hill, then dragged mother away before she could spend any money.

Back on the road towards Whitianga, which is pronounced Fettyanga, for some reason. The road was so amazing it is indescribable. The driving was challenging to say the least, very steep, very winding, quite slow traffic. We stopped at a view point, where we were on top of the world, but it was hazy so the photo isn't that good. We missed out Hot Water Bay because time was passing and we had a way to go, but we still found time for a coffee in Whitianga, but we should have had more time there; there is the most beautiful bay with ocean stacks and cliffs, but by the time we'd had coffee it was 3.30pm.