Finally, our blog about the Coromandel

Two weekends ago we made a rushed trip to the Coromandel Peninsula, we travel south in 2 weeks and Agnes was in the nitty gritty part of her experiment so it was a last chance for us. The Coromandel is advertised as "the place where New Zealanders holiday". Most New Zealanders live in the sprawling suburbs of Auckland, and the Coromandel is the closest area of significant beauty, so it is no great surprise. That said, it is a staggeringly beautiful place. So beautiful in fact, that it was named after a British naval ship in the 1820`s (that was irony). Its a steep bit of land that sticks out like a tongue separating the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty. The bits that were too steep for logging or farming are covered in subtropical rainforest.

By fate we ended up staying at Purangi gardens. I highly recommend this place next time you are in the Coromandel. We were plied with avocados and citrus fruit from the garden. Too bad you cant smell via the blog; the whole place smelled of sea salt and citrus flowers, it was magical. Our hostess (we liked her a lot) told us that the nearby river (pictured) was where James Cooks crew took fresh water for their ship. And if you believe that you also likely believe her other story about flower extracts that calm a teething baby...

our favourite toys are ones we can eat afterwards

James Cooks favourite watering hole ca. 1769

After stuffing ourselves with avocado we immediately set in search of supper, ending up in a bohemian place where the chef came out to serenade us with his guitar and accordian. Thandi thought it was the best entertainment ever and applauded generously during, between and after his songs. I doubt he has ever had such an adoring fan. We liked the food.

The English naturalist Joseph Banks noted the exuberance of the morning chorus in New Zealand. That was in 1770, after the Maori had killed off roughly half of New Zealands bird species, but before European colonisation did for another 32 species. Consequently our Coromandel wake up call (if you call 4am a wake up call - Thandi does) is a cosmopolitan mix of Tui`s, oystercatchers (both New Zealand), pheasants (Chinese) and thrush (European). More or less like any standard Auckland coffee house.

After breakfast (more avocados) we drove to Cathedral Cove. For some reason, we wont go into here, we thought that we could only access it at low tide (7am in the morning). As it turns out 7am seems pretty late in the day when youve been up since 4. Look at the video. I have taken some criticism for my previous eratic camera panning so I have tried to fix it. Every now and then I get excited and forget.

impressive cathedral but I miss the stained glass and stilled atmosphere

Not being ones to sit on a beach all day, we stayed long enough for Thandi and the seagulls to have a brawl. Thandi just won, and only after some intervention from her mother. After lunch (avocado and grapefruit) we went to nearby Whitianga. Not too much to say about Whitianga. It was once the site of New Zealands busiest port. Even by NZ standards this claim to fame has lost its sparkle. The most action we saw was a local catching a small but lively mullet.

The peninsula is famous for its pohutukawa or New Zealand Christmas tree. During December they are ablaze with crimson flowers. We were about 3 weeks to early for this, but using the binoculars we managed to spot plus/minus 3 flowers on one tree. The trees are still impressive, they are shaggy from the lichens growing on them, and they extend right down to the beaches. According to our local oracle (ref Cooks watering place and soothing flower extract) the oldest one in the region (pictured) is supposed to be around 800 years. I believed her (not irony). Pohutukawa is the only tree that can colonise bare lava, and has the ability to form aerial roots from its branches. This allows it to "creep" over rocks. Quite an amazing tree.