Coromandel Peninsula

We have just come back from a pub in Coromandel Town where we tasted the local fare – fish and chips and mussels and chips. Delicious! Total cost $56 (£28) which included a glass of wine and a beer. This is the area for mussels and oysters so tomorrow we are going to collect a few samples of the smoked fish from the outlet down the road. The Coromandel region is very popular with the people from Auckland who come here for the weekend. We are across the bay from Auckland.

We are staying in another excellent holiday park (part of another chain) with superb facilities and very clean and certainly worth the cost of $40 (£20). I notice that the tourists in motor homes tend to come to these sites. Last night we tried a local campsite in Waiwera and again the facilities were very poor and very dirty and still cost $30. Are the campsites not inspected here?

We travelled through Auckland very easily on a very smooth motorway, took a fairly new looking two way road around the bottom of the bay and then up the west coast of the peninsula, which was an extremely twisty road but breathtakingly beautiful The road would be even more beautiful in summer when the pohutukawa trees are out in their red flowers. The bay is called the Firth of Thames, would you believe it, and so unlike the Thames in the UK.

Last night we had a site right on the beach at Waiwera, which made up for the dirty facilities and messy campsite. We woke this morning to brilliant sunshine and a wonderful view from our bedroom window. There are hot springs at Waiwera (approx 35 kms north of Auckland) so we paid $6 each (pensioner price) and spent an hour sitting in a very hot pool (41 degrees) which smelled strongly of sulphur. Surprisingly, it was a very relaxing experience. I did think briefly of tidal waves, especially as I had read a sign previously that said there had been a massive tidal wave in 1400 on the East Coast of NZ, which made the 2004 one in Asia look like a little ripple. We need to live a little dangerously!

This morning due to such a beautiful view outside, I spent time painting my nails as one must keep up appearances, especially if we are going to sit in thermal pools. Unfortunately I was a little hasty in putting on my shoes so my toenails now look a little rippled!

We were also late leaving Russell (Kororareka) as the motorhome needed a little repair to one of the bolts on the water tank. A footpath jumped out at the motorhome and cut a water tank bolt off. This also happened to an American couple so people need to beware of jumping footpaths. A very nice man in a garage replaced the bolt with wire and did not charge us, which was very much appreciated. Anyway it gave us a chance to have another look at Russell, have a lovely coffee and soak up the atmosphere. I also checked out the museum which was very informative. I can also say Kororareka now, which is not easy as there are no shortcuts, such as leaving out some of the syllables.

We travelled around the coast from Russell on winding roads, with spectacular scenery. In fact most of our trip so far as been travelling in very hilly country and on very twisty roads, spectacular of not good if one is prone to travel sickness. Ever onwards tomorrow.