After some hardcore beach action the previous day, that had included two swims, snorkelling and a boat-trip, we decided to explore more of what the Coromandel had to offer. We decided to head to Coromandel Town on the West side of the peninsula via the 309 gravel road. Strangely not very busy at all, this road has plenty of beauty spots: river walks, kauri groves and waterfalls. We stopped en route to check out some kauri that had survived the intensive logging of the 19th century (see photo 4). Unfortunately there isn't much in the photo to show the scale of these trees, but they are giants, apparently reaching adult-size while Joan of Arc was rampaging against the English. After visiting the trees, we bumped along the road to the funky town of Coromandel, a haven for artists, environmentalists, Buddhists and other seeking an alternative to the rat-race. We had a very tasty lunch indeed at Peppertree (so-named for the large pepper-tree shading the courtyard) and then wandered the streets looking in organic food shops and the plentiful design stores. We booked to go on the Driving Creek Railway - just out of town - on their last trip of the day and whiled away the afternoon until then at nearby Oamaru Bay.
After some hardcore beach action the previous day, that had included two swims, snorkelling and a boat-trip, we decided to explore more of what the Coromandel had to offer. We decided to head to Coromandel Town on the West side of the peninsula via the 309 gravel road. Strangely not very busy at all, this road has plenty of beauty spots: river walks, kauri groves and waterfalls. We stopped en route to check out some kauri that had survived the intensive logging of the 19th century (see photo 4). Unfortunately there isn't much in the photo to show the scale of these trees, but they are giants, apparently reaching adult-size while Joan of Arc was rampaging against the English. After visiting the trees, we bumped along the road to the funky town of Coromandel, a haven for artists, environmentalists, Buddhists and other seeking an alternative to the rat-race. We had a very tasty lunch indeed at Peppertree (so-named for the large pepper-tree shading the courtyard) and then wandered the streets looking in organic food shops and the plentiful design stores. We booked to go on the Driving Creek Railway - just out of town - on their last trip of the day and whiled away the afternoon until then at nearby Oamaru Bay.
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