Swiss Family Robinson

That afternoon and the next few days were all about the Coromandel.  We left Rotorua and headed north.  We had picked out a hotel in a small town on the water as our base.  The hotel, the Mecure Grand Puka Park Resort, had a main building with check in, a restaurant, pool, and tennis court and "rooms" spread throughout the grounds.  The hotel grounds were set on a hill overlooking the town and the ocean.

The rooms were a series of "chalets" tucked into the forest for complete privacy.  No cars were allowed beyond the main building so we had to walk up the hill to our room, luggage in tow.  Our place was essentially in a tree:  it was like being the Swiss Family Robinson, but with satellite tv.  

With daylight fading, we decided to check out the beach and get our bearings.  Fortunately, the crowds had thinned and we were able to find a spot to watch the sun light the clouds (we were on the east side of the Coromandel, facing the Pacific so the sun set behind us over the land).

The first full day we mostly hung out at the beach, fighting off the crowds, reading books, swimming, and surfing (ok, watching surfers).

The next few days we explored the Coromandel, visiting small towns along the coast, enjoying the sun (on the beach, on a boat tour, etc.), and of course eating.  We loved Whitianga, which had a number of great restaurants and a beautiful little harbor.  Strangely enough, the "wh" in all the town names is pronounced as a "ph," which is in itself strange to be pronounced as an "f." All I can say is count your blessings you are native English speakers and don't have to learn it as a second language.

Cathedral cove:

Whitianga:

(Mom, this one's for you -- look at the name of the boat)

Just like the Swiss Family Robinson, Debbie stayed in touch with the outside world.  Instead of messages in bottles, she used Skype on her iPad sitting outside the free wifi from the library.  Talking with Andrew:

All that talking made us hungry and it had been at least a day since we had last had mussels, so . . .

Between the towns of Whitianga and Tairua (which was close to our hotel) an underground river of hot water flows into the Pacific under a small stretch of sandy beach.  During low tides -- and only during low tides  -- a portion of the beach is exposed that sits just above the river.  With a little digging, you can expose the hot water and create an incredible self-made hot tub.  The night we were there low tide was just around sunset.  We had bought a shovel in Whitianga and were all set.  We parked in the main beach parking lot and then headed around the bend.  The beach is generally empty, except for the spot just above the underground river (we had to ford a little stream to get there).

Once there it's every man, woman, and child for himself.  Actually, people share shovels and their water supply as if they were Utopian.  Depending on where you dig, the water can be scalding or barely warm, and people continually make adjustments by opening a breach in their walls to let someone else get hotter or colder water depending on the need.  It is an awesome experience (although with a La Brae tar pit kind of vibe).

After a few days, we headed back to Auckland, cutting straight across the Coromandel on an unpaved road.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Hacking our way through the woods, we found what so vexed Ponce de Leon:  the fountain of youth.  (I am sure many of you have noticed that we have not aged one bit since our trip a few weeks ago.)

We also found a large tomato sitting in someone's yard.  Take that Ponce.

Additional pictures can be found at:  https://picasaweb.google.com/cariboulane/SwissFamilyRobinson?authkey=Gv1sRgCJL699boybC5qAE#

There are lots of pictures but they span a 3-day period.