New Zealand Coromandel June 20 - 23

The Coromandel area is very scenic (everything around here seems to be). This is a coastal area with plenty of beaches, coves, cliffs, and short walks. We stayed in Whitianga. The "wh" is pronounced like an "f"...so it's pronounced "Fitianga". There's actually a town called Whuckadapapa ...I'll let you guess how to pronounce that one.

We did short day hikes that had pretty views of the Whitianga Harbour. Also, the "big draw" for this area is the Hot Water Beach. Lon rested this one out, so I went with some friends that we met in Rotorua. This beach has a lot of thermal activity under the sand. As you walk along the beach barefoot, you'll come across areas that are very hot...that's where you dig! Everyone brings a shovel to dig their own "spa". Nick, Carmen, Anja, and I dug for about half an hour to make a pool big enough for four people. The water was so hot in some areas that you couldn't touch it for very long without burning yourself.

Next, we checked out Cathedral Cove. This is a 40 minute hike through the bush that ends at a beautiful cove with strange shaped rocks and natural rock bridges.

region	lodging	$US / night	rating	notes
Whitianga	Coromandel Lodge	$18.04		Nice apartment units

We drove approximately 2 hours east through a very windy and narrow road to Coromandel Town. This is another small sea side town. We did a really cool train ride here (of all things!). The Driving Creek Railway and Potteries is a private reserve with a large portion of land dedicated to growing the native trees and plants of New Zealand. They also make pottery. The soil in this area is very rich in clay, so they built a small train that goes through the forest and up into the mountain to carry the clay back down. Over the years, they kept building more and more tracks for the train. Today, this train is open to the public and is a 1 hour round trip ride with beautiful landscape views ...and some quirky pottery along the way.

region	lodging	$US / night	rating	notes
Coromandel Town	Whitehouse	$13.12		Old but very charming