Day Seven … exploring the Coromandel Coast

With a big day planned ahead of us we decided to hit the road early, so up out of bed by 7.00 am - packed, checked out, in the car and on the road by 7.36 am heading towards Thames on the Coromandel Coast. The drive out of Auckland was very smooth with very few issues with traffic or navigation (you have to love in car navigation systems). We travelled through beautiful rolling hills again with massive mountains rising up seemingly from nowhere. It was a drive of just under 2 hours (with a quick stop for my morning coffee) to Thames where we stopped to grab some food for lunch later on and for me to visit a pharmacy in search of blister band aids (😳).

Our first “true” stop for the day was to drive along the coast and then in to the Rapaura Watergardens. This privately owned oasis in the mountains is spread over 64 acres. It was established back in the 1960s when the then owners set about transforming wilderness, grazing land and the river running through the property into a sprawling garden filled with beautiful lotus ponds, fern glades and its very own waterfall. We spent a wonderful hour wandering around the gardens, finding hidden statues and plaques and climbing to the top of the cascading waterfall (approx. 20m drop from top to bottom over 7 levels).

Leaving Rapaura we headed back down to the Thames Coast Road, which is also known as the Pacific Coast Highway. This road in no way resembles a highway as it gently twists and turns, clinging to the coast much like our own Great Ocean Road in Victoria. We passed through several small towns as we headed back to Thames, each one very quaint and the area would no doubt be bustling over summer. 

We did a short detour to visit Jacobs Ladder a series of 135 steps built originally in dirt in 1884 and later concreted in 1907 and is part of the local primary schools daily fitness program. The students help to keep the steps clean of rubbish and were granted permission by the local council to beautify the steps with a makeover. The makeover involved painting each step in a different colour so that the journey to the top is now a rainbow. Whilst we didn’t stop for long … we marvelled at the ingenuity of the teacher who helped the children create their own little bit of magic.

Leaving Thames once again we headed in to the Kauaeranga Valley where the Department of Conservation manage several trails and camping sites in the Coromandel Forest Park. We chose to do three different hikes … one to the Model Dam, which replicates dam construction and how they manage water flow, an arduous hike to Edwards Lookout and a hike to Hoffmanns Pool. Each one was so different with the view over the valley from the lookout over being a stunning spot to sit for a sandwich, and the wide expanse of the pools being a serene spot for our very packed lunch roll.

After two hours wandering through the valley we headed back to Thames for the last time (all roads lead back to Thames) and on to Karangahake Gorge. We had a slight detour on the way, however, when we spotted a stunning War Memorial on top of a hill as we traveled through the town of Paeroa. So ignoring our GPS we went to the top of Primrose Hill to view the monument and look out over the landscape and township below. Then back in the car and on to the Gorge.

Karangahake Gorge is rich in gold mining history. We wandered around the old mine site, which is a sharp, abrupt canyon. The gold mine was built in the 1880s into the side of the gorge and the remains of it can now be explored by a series of walks which involved crossing two suspension bridges (which I love the look of but hate walking on). Whilst sections were closed off (due to rock falls following rain) we were still able to wander most of the area and ponder how difficult it would have been to work in that area for what appears to be very little return.

And so we headed on to Tauranga our resting spot for the evening. After booking in to our hotel we headed off for a visit to the special hole in the wall (the ATM) as we needed some cash in order to do our laundry! So laundry on and it was time to head out to dinner. We chose to go Mexican tonight and enjoyed a delicious dinner of nachos, fried chicken and a salsa verde chicken enchilada. 

And our last task for the evening was to complete an Adventure Lab - we are aiming to do one every single day whilst on our journey. This one took us around some of the parks in Tauranga where we had the chance to learn a little more about this lovely city. In doing the Ad Lab we stumbled onto a Light Festival that is currently on at the waterfront. What a fabulous way to end another great day in NZ.