Coromandel Peninsula

One of the jewels of New Zealand, the Coromandel Peninsula is completely overrun by tourists and holidaymakers every summer, making it near impossible to get into and out of, with narrow windy roads leading up and down either side and few roads connecting one side to the other. Since we were only on a day trip, we spent most of our time driving and not so much sightseeing, but there are a lot of beautiful things to see from out the window. We drove up and had fish & chips at Coromandel, a cute little seaside town on the west side, then we crossed the Peninsula missing a few scenic beaches on the way and ended up on the east side at Whitianga where we collected some shells & relaxed on the beach before heading back home. I would love to go back later this year and spend a few days there taking in the sights.

Hobbiton

Matamata, a small country town in the middle of the Hauraki Plains took on the name of Hobbiton when a farm nearby was cast as the location for Bilbo Baggins village in the Lord of the Rings movies. You can go to the location today, if you want to pay for the privilege of going and seeing holes in a hillside, but if you just want photos, you may as well go and pose outside the I-Site building in the town like we did, it’s a lot easier. Also nearby is the Firth Tower – now a historical reserve, a building which was built in 1881 when the swampland on the Hauraki Plains was being drained so that farm development could occur. There are also other restored historic buildings there.

Wairere Falls

Not far from Matamata on the Hauraki Plains lies the Wairere Falls, highest waterfalls in the North Island. They are 150m tall and two tiered. I had heard of it not long ago and had wanted to go there for quite a while before finally having a day off work and a friend to go with. The walk to the base of the falls takes about 45 minutes and if you want to walk to the top its another 45 minutes. The day that we went was blustery and windy, and one of the other walkers told us the forecast was for rain after midday, which sped us up a bit (up to that point it was a slow meandering walk as I was more interested in taking photos of the sights than in getting to where we were going).

There were multiple pools which would have been great swimming holes, if the water wasn’t so icy freezing cold. Watching your footing was important, as there were lots of rocks, tree roots and multiple steps as well as a huge staircase on the way there, but at last we arrived at the viewing platform. I would like to go back another day and walk all the way to the top, preferably when the wind has died down and its not threatening to rain. The walk back was much quicker & downhill, then it was off to Matamata for a bite to eat.

Tonga Quarry

Bark Bay to Tonga Quarry

Kaiteriteri Beach

Onetahuti Beach

At Tonga Quarry we found a place to hide our bags so we could walk to Onetahuti for lunch. It felt so light and amazing without the packs on. We only took 20 mins to get there uphill, then flat, then downhill.

I went and sat on the beach by myself while Liz went to the bathroom, it was so peaceful and lovely. I sat down and looked up and saw a little dark head pop out of the water right in front of me – it was a seal! I yanked my shoes off and ran down to the water but he moved quite quick smart. I tried to take photos, but I think I might’ve just got some dark shapes in the water.

Went back and ate lunch – carrot, crackers with cheese, tuna. We took some posey photos then headed back to Tonga Quarry.