Aug 31st- Sept 2nd
After a detour via good old Auckland to use the hot showers at our Les Mills gym before the membership ends, and to go to Peterpans travel shop to book all our excursions (what we could easily have done throughout the 9 months we lived there). We ended up miss timing the traffic and ended up on a slow drive to The Coromandel , the weather was another key factor in this- it was pouring rain and dark, not ideal.
Arriving in Thames we then didn't know what to do, the rain was relentless and we couldn't put up our tent in this weather so we found 'Dicksons Holiday Park' at €25 pp and got a room for the night, the owner wasn't happy with us arriving so late (it was 8pm). The room which was more like a portacabin could fit 3 and had staggered bunk beds, and the all important heating and electric sockets.
Early next morning we got on the road and headed up to The Coromandel, stopping off in the centre of Thames first for sushi at 'Midami' you should go if ever in Thames (610 Pollen St, Thames 3500)- Shannon's work friend Juyeong's parents own it and were aware we were coming to visit, and gave us lots of free sushi! It was ever so kind of them and delicious too!
The rain was by now subsiding but the roads had taken a hit by falling rocks and debris- and this was the first day of Spring! We drove through Coromandel town then up the winding roads on the state highway 25 to a campsite called 'Seabreeze' Holiday Park' which located close to Cathedral Cove, the owner advised us the ground was too wet and suggested for a little extra we take a queen room, so we reluctantly did, it was worth it but we know we can't keep ducking out of camping. The room was basic at €25pp but better than the one in Thames.
We headed out through flooded roads to Cathedral Cove. The sun came out for us and we enjoyed a leisurely trek to the cove. We had been here in 2012 and felt that the landscape had changed, we were both sure there had a been a cove before but couldn't find it. It was relatively quiet so we explored and went through the cove, seen Split Apple Rock and a newly formed waterfall.
At night we star gazed and looked up in amazement at the Milky Way. We had thought of going to Hot Water Beach- where at low tide you go armed with a shovel and dig the sand up to reveal hot thermal water below, then you sit in your hot man made pool, but the weather wasn't great still, and low tide was at 4am and we had done it before so decided to skip it and head out of the Coromandel and on to our next destination....
