Home Day 1 - Arrival Day 2 - Raglan to Urenui Day 3 - The Long Road to Levin Day 4 - A Day with Granny Day 5 - A Wellington Wander Day 6 - The Tour to Taupo Day 7 - Rolling to Rotarua Day 8 - The Redolence of Rotorua Day 9 - The Beach at Bowentown Day 10 - Outtrip to Ohope Day 11 - Meander over McLaren Falls Day 12 - Mission to Mt. Manganui Day 13 - Shopping the Strand Day 14 - Wistful in Whangamata Day 15 - Cruising to Coromandel Day 16 - On the Road to Orere Point Day 17 - Departure
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Saturday, March 30
Today was the big driving day - all the way up the east coast of the
Coromandel Peninsula, to the northern tip (well, not the VERY northern tip, they
don't allow RVs up there) and the namesake of the peninsula, the town of
Coromandel.
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The girls "break camp", packing up their bed and putting things away so we
can leave. After two weeks, they're pretty quick at it. |
Dad hangs out at the gas station, waiting for the propane tank to be
refilled. |
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Caitlin takes a picture of herself in the mirror. |
Caitlin just plain takes a picture of herself. |
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Down the spine of the Coromandel is a good-sized set of hills, heavily
covered in trees. |
Further on, we get close to the eastern coast and get a peek at the ocean. |
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Richard and Caitlin walk back from a view point high up on a ridge. |
One of the rarest of creatures, even in New Zealand, the elusive Mr.
Whippy ice cream truck! |
Our first major stop of the day came around lunch time at the town of
Whitianga. Amazingly, Whitianga is considered the spot where the Maori, under
their leader Kupe, first arrived from Raiatea (near Tahiti) in 950AD. The area
was named Te Whitianga-a-Kupe, meaning "Kupe's crossing". This is one of the few
places to ever bare the name of the Maori leader that first came to New Zealand.
Now here's the amazing part - in November 1769, Captain Cook arrived in New
Zealand in virtually the same spot! To be certain where he was, tracked the
passage of Mercury across the Sun and was able to compute the exact longitude,
effectively "putting New Zealand" on the map.
Cook named the area Mercury Bay. He also named the river the town was
situation on Oyster River (because there was lots of oysters), although it was
originally named (as is usually called) the Purangi River. The township was
originally situation on the eastern shores of the river, but in 1862 the amount
of lumber being harvested and cut was so great, they needed more space and built
the mill on the western marshy side.
It took two years for most everyone to move to the eastern side and the town
on the western side was essentially demolished. The name "Whitianga" was
officially adopted in 1938.
When we arrived, it was fair time, and serious shopping ensued.
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Once of the pioneer homes of Whitianga, built before electricity, air
conditioning, etc... notice the veranda running all the way around the house,
shading the windows to help keep things cool. |
The girls ponder their purchasing opportunities. This part of the fair was
set up in a park and they sold produce, small wooden objects, perfumes,
clothing, bird baths... |
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Back on the road, the weather is looking decidedly ominous. |
Then it was raining. |
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And the road turned very tightly. You try moosing an RV around 25km
corners in the rain! |
A peek down onto the town of Coromandel. We're still a couple of
kilometers (and 500 meters of altitude) away. |
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At the crossroads of Coromandel - the main drag goes left and right of
here. |
To the right and a short way up the road is the town hall... the visitors
center is nearby as well. |
We explored around the town and bought a few odds and ends we needed, then
checked out the visitor's center to find an RV park to spend the night. Turns
out there was a big one not ten minutes away and right on the water... and, with
the weather turning poorly, there were lots of spaces to be had (although there
were still a number of long-weekenders out trying to make the best of it).
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Caitlin in the trees at the RV park. |
Alex against the tree in the RV park. |
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The tide is out! |
And the bay is big! |
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Caitlin takes off her muddy shoes before going in the RV. |
At the edge of the tide line are sea birds. |
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Walking back, we spy these seagull looking birds doing
something very silly - they're splashing their feet in the water. |
Here's two of 'em doing it! Presumably this stirs up the mud
and lets them find food, but it looks ridiculous. |
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Mallard like ducks invade while we have dinner... |
"Hey dude! Got any food?" |
The sun set quickly, we had a quiet meal. A lot of driving today, and the RV
procedures are well practiced, to the point of tedium.
Tomorrow would the last full day in New Zealand.
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