Whitianga / Coromandel Peninsula
Accommodation: Tue 4th Feb – Thurs 6th Feb
Tue 4th Feb
The trip from Paihia to Whitianga took 5 1/2 hours and was essentially 4 hours of driving south, from the Bay Islands and back down through Auckland, then about half an hour of heading east followed by an hour heading north up along the Coromandel Peninsula. The 30 minute eastward section of the drive would have been the envy of any landscape artist as we passed through area of plateau pasture land, with numerous herds of contented looking grazing cattle, set against impressive tree covered mountains. The final northward hour of the journey wound up along this mountain range. However, it was a little too winding for me! The irony of it was that the speed limit signs kept registering 100 or 90 km/hr for the winding single lane road but each sharp bend, of which there were many every 200 -300 meters or so, would have signs suggesting a speed of 25 or 35 km/hr. Guys, you just can’t have it both ways! I would normally nod off on such a long trip but I was wide awake for the whole of this last segment and began questioning why in the world I had planned this remote stop as part of our itinerary. Mark, though, loved it which I suppose is something to be thankful for. I did try and do a ‘Pollyanna’ and play the ‘Glad Game’ however but could only come up with the fact that I was glad the weather was so fine for our journey. I then realised that we would likely have to return on this road once he head back down south again and all thoughts of Pollyanna vanished. That’s a worry for another day though.
We found our apartment easily and were pleased to discover it was a nicely appointed, clean and modern place with a terrace offering views out over the water of Buffalo Beach and out towards Mercury Bay. The kitchen was well stocked with utensils but lacked pantry items other than salt, pepper, tea and coffee but that was our only issue. I had hoped we would dine-in one night but this sparsity had me thinking twice. In fact, I think every other guest must have thought the same way as the kitchen and appliances looked like they had hardly ever been used.
After dropping our bags we set off to explore the area a bit and it wasn’t too long before we were in the local pub for Mark to have a beer as he needed some nourishment after our long drive. It was surprising to find this area, which seemed so remote on the map, rather large and well supported with many shops, services, restaurants, bars, cafes and supermarkets (yes, plural!). Mark found an Asian Fusion venue for dinner and so he made a booking.
Dinner at Marina Bay Eatery was quite nice and Mark had a beer at Salt Restaurant and Bar beforehand. Salt had such a beautiful setting, located next to the water and on a huge mariner, and looked so nice that we made a booking to eat there for the following night. Our after-dinner activity tonight was two loads of washing. Attention Brett!
Wed 5th Feb
Today was our one full day to enjoy this area of Whitianga. The township is located at the juncture of the long sandy Buffalo Beach and the harbour inlet harbour of the deep sea Marina area. It is of no surprise then that the main attractions in this region centre around deep sea fishing and taking boat trips out to explore the unique coastline; Mercury Bay is dotted with lots of little outcrop islands. Mark started his day with a bike ride and I walked up and back along Buffalo Beach, a journey that took almost an hour. We met up for coffee at the Harbour House Cafe before heading home for breakfast and then a swim. Our main activity was set down for this afternoon with a 2 hour boat trip out to see Cathedral Cove; one of the key sites in the area.
The swim idea was short-lived as the sand was so shelly we were worried about shredding our feet. You would need to walk a few hundred meters further up the beach to find an area of sand that had fewer shells but we couldn’t be bothered. Also, the water wasn’t very clear and, given I’d seen a stingray just nearby earlier in the morning, I wasn’t too keen to head out too deep. So we just had a bit of a walk around the harbour front instead.
Our 2 hour boat trip departed from the small ferry wharf at 1.30 pm and took us out and southward along 12 km of the rugged Coromandel coast inspecting the spectacular geological features of this part of the world. The area is situated right on top of the border of the Australian and Pacific Tectonic plates so it’s hardly surprising that the coastline is so visually magnificent. The whole coastline along the Coromandel Peninsula is dotted with various sized rocky outcrops made of a stone comprised of compressed volcanic ash, much like pumice stone, making it rather susceptible to erosion and, hence, the many magnificent structures and intricately carved coastline. It was a great way to see and explore the area and really is the main thing to do if you’re ever in the area. Please excuse the many scenery photos below.
It was 3.30 pm by the time we set foot back on land but we didn’t make it too far. The pub was just across the road from the ferry terminal so we made a detour there before heading home to rest up before our dinner at Salt.
We really enjoyed our short stop over in Whitianga and our accommodation was a great choice for our needs as it was clean, modern and so well located. It would have been even better if the pantry was a little better stocked and they had a BBQ on the deck but BBQs don’t seem to be a vibe over here; or not what we’ve found thus far. Tomorrow we head to Mount Manganui just for one night.