The legend of Barry Brickell

So, the surfing blog has been delayed for a week or two. Andy now has a surfboard, which looks nice in the lounge, but the surfs flat man!


Instead, braving the 'busy' labour day traffic (bank holiday weekend), we joined the masses for a drive up the west coast of the Coromandel.



First stop, the stunning, sheer-sided Kauaeranga valley. At the end of a 12km 'road' (a dirt track by UK standards) we find yet another informative and friendly New Zealander in the DOC office who directs us to some easy walks; my walking pace is slowing this last week.

The scenic valley of native forest is a great introduction to the common trees of NZ, namely Kauri trees and the Rimu and Rata. The whole area was an important mining and logging region from the late 1800s. Although much of the original trees are ... Amoungst all the flora and fauna there are impressive, tranquil swimming spots and waterfalls on the way.

A short climb (up 370 steps!) gets us to this great look out , the only people for what seems like miles (we've not yet noticed any bank holiday crowds) it's a great place to sit and take it all in.


Look Out

Not yet seeing evidence of the holiday traffic we've been warned of, along the way we realise all the crowds are on the water, doing what all the locals do best... fishing!



Boats queuing to dock just outside Thames

Passing secluded bays; busy with day trippers foraging for shellfish, Mussels and TuaTua as well as vast Crayfish and Oyster farms we go by stunning viewpoints as the road stretches over the coast.

Arriving at Coromandel, famous for smoked fish and scallops I seek out the Coromandel Smoking company to try (much to Andy's disgust) their delicious smoked mussels. http://www.corosmoke.co.nz/

We check in at the b&b http://www.greenhousebandb.co.nz/, stumbling across some more Pommes, the welcoming Malcolm and Denise (originally from Cornwall).
Revived we're ready for another strenuous day at the beach, but not before I convince Andy that he needs to visit the Driving Creek Railway and Potteries.



The Driving Creek Railway is the mastermind of Barry Brickell, a potter and rail enthusiast. After arriving in the 70's he realised a more efficient way to extract clay from the surrounding hillside via rail. In true Kiwi style, he not only built it himself but improved over the years, the railway growing from the initial 400m of track to a steeped 3km stretch, ending with beautiful views across the Hauraki Golf.



Not content with pottery and rail engineering he was also determined to become an eco-hero, reintroducing native forest to the region with the profit from the railway, as well as using recyclable materials in the making of every part of the railway; the engine fuel is recycled from the local chippy.

http://www.drivingcreekrailway.co.nz/Introduction.cfm

Dated, but charming rail carriages

It even has a double bridge!

Final destination...

After exhausting ourselves with culture we hit the road to Whangapoua in search of New Chums beach.

Whangapoua

An adventurous trek around the rocky bay; rewards us with white sands, clear water and a barely populated idyllic beach. Here we take our first swim in the Pacific, it's still freezing!

New Chums Bay

Whiling away the hours, we realise it's time to be heading home, a neighbourly BBQ beckons, but not before we stop to take in more waterfalls and Kauri


Sensible pregnant lady stays well away from the slippery rocks at Waiau Falls...

While Andy can't help but clamber, gingerly over to the water!

 More Kauri trees, the largest is 1200 years old!

Life at Waihi Beach

Arriving at Waihi beach is a spectacular introduction to New Zealand and all its geological contrasts.

Leaving Auckland you quickly pass along winding roads through flat green farmland until hitting an instantaneous change in the landscape, the steep sided Karangahake Gorge. Rapidly the land flattens to views of Avocado and Kiwi farms either side of the hills.
We dropped to the coast as darkness fell, just in time for a quick peak at the beach and seascape as we arrived at our new home, a typical Kiwi Bach.

Our Bach is up on the hillside, set back less than 10min walk from the beach, the deck (reaches around most of the house) provides great views and morning sunshine into the whole house.

The Bach is in the middle of the stunning beach...

The beach (north end)

The beach, from Bowentown

On the night we arrived it was a bitterly cold , gloomy evening. So we quickly explored out 2 bedrooms, bathroom, utility room and open plan kitchen/living area; fairly sure we'd stepped back to winter in the 1970s. Fortunately, dispelling any doubts we may have had, the welcoming Jenks family invited us to share dinner at their Bach a few streets away. We were reassured to find that ours was not unusual, and concluded that most Kiwi homes are functional rather than stylish! 

Since arriving we've been readily received into the local community, close knit and inclusive. It's easy to be sociable here, in our first week we feasted on some great home cooking at a 'pot luck' lunch with Andrew's new colleagues. I joined in with a new Mums coffee morning and beach Olympics and subjected the locals to some of my rusty tennis skills.

Andy has been settling into 2 new practices (one about 5 houses down the road from our home and the other in the gold mining town of Waihi 10km away). Moving into medical practice in rural New Zealand is a bit like working in 'minor injuries' in A+E. Lots of fractures, plastering, and removing random bits of metal that Kiwi's like to get stuck in themselves when building or fishing. Andy has given up shaking hands with patients as all the miners tell him he has soft hands! He's yet to carry out a vasectomy yet though like some of the GP's in Waihi do! 

In our first week I was lucky enough to explore some local sights; the absolutely beautiful 8km beach that is right on our doorstep as well as the local gold mining town and bays around the peninsula.

Looking back on Waihi beach from Orokawa Bay

Orokawa Bay - the whole beach to myself!

Great food and wine, why we came to New Zealand!

We'd both come to NZ in anticipation of great coffee, wine and fresh food. In this, we have not been disappointed.

The coffee is more often than not excellent, even in the dodgiest looking cafe, good coffee is served. Since our first experience of cafe culture in Auckland...

 I've shamelessly investigated all of the ones in the local area; my favourite so far is the Swell cafe. Andy isn't far behind me, although prefers The Deli (perhaps as its 2min walk from our house!).

The food too has surpassed our expectations, we are fortunate (particularly living in the Bay of Plenty) to have so much local produce all around us. The orange and lemon trees in our garden and a friendly neighbour who supplies us with grapefruit are a bonus.

The best place to buy fruit and veg is from local farms, selling their surplus from the roadside and neighbouring markets. At the moment, everything is served with plentiful amounts of Avocados. I'm optimistically hoping the benefits for my skin will help prevent the pregnancy stretchmarks!

Being right on the coast, fishing is a way of life for most of the Beach residents; great for us as not a week has gone buy without a gift of freshly caught Snapper or Kahawai. The fish and chip shop only serves freshly caught fish too; our favourite so far is the Tarakahi, it's the busiest place in town on a Friday evening.

I've also had no choice but to get straight into baking, as everyone also seems to have time to bake for their friends and families. If you don't though, the bakeries are fabulous – a dangerous place for a pregnant lady.

To continue our culinary adventure, this weekend we decided to stay close to the beach and explore the dramatic gorge we first drove through, there is the added draw of the Ohinemuri winery and restaurant as a reward after walking in the area.

http://www.ohinemuri.co.nz/

On a rainy Saturday morning, we made our way along the Karangahake Gorge historic walkway (site of the original 1875 gold rush), watching fly-fishers, passing under Ponga trees and reminders of the areas mining history.

We warmed up in Waikino station cafe (another step back in time, by about 50 years) just as the sun came out and allowed us to explore the Victoria battery sight and gorgeous Owharoa waterfall. 

We'd worked up a great appetite, just as well, as the food at the Ohinemuri winery is delicious and while I treated myself to a glass of Syrah, Andy went for a tasting of all 5 wines


                                                                                                    drunk already!

Needless to say, neither of us could leave without buying some more wine!

We'll be back for more of the fresh prawns and New Zealand lamb too.

Rotorua

To recover from any remaining jet-lag, after settling in we headed to Rotorua, one of the north islands largest tourist destinations, a small city on the Taupo volcanic zone. It’s a huge geothermal area, with mineral pools and hot spas.

After a stroll around part of the lake itself, taking in some of the wildlife and the scent of rotten eggs (from the hydrogen sulphide);our first stop is the Polynesian Spa, we’re treated to seven open-air hot mineral pools all with beautiful lake-side views. It’s very peaceful, we’re appreciating the ‘adults only’ policy before the baby comes along!

Andy indulges in some relaxation...

Before making our way back to the hotel, we take in the history of the Government gardens (almost like a mini England: bowling green and manicured lawns) and Rotorua Museum.

Clare poses on the government lawns...

It’s a short walk through the ‘city’ back to our hotel, the Regent, run by ‘stylish’ couple Daryn and Bret – our first taste of New Zealand glamour

http://www.regentrotorua.co.nz/

Invigorated from our spa experience we make our way to ‘Wai-O-Tapu’, the largest area of thermal activity in the Taupo volcanic zone. It’s an amazing experience. The whole area covers collapsed craters, boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles. Unbelievably, most of them are almost touchable, so relaxed are NZ’s health and safety standards. Our favourite is easily the ‘Champagne pool’, at 65m in diameter and 62m deep and multicoloured from the different mineral elements, it’s a magical sight.

Sulphur Cave

The scared track

'Frying pan flats' (eruption crater with hot springs and fumaroles)

Completing our trip home, we travelled through ‘Bethlehem’, its a bit early for the baby just yet

Another hard weekend in New Zealand!

NEXT WEEK... LOOK FORWARD TO ANDY'S SURFING POST...YOU WILL LAUGH!