Three Hidden Gems- Coromandel

Catch-up

While David went fishing I went exploring, this time picking a perfect blue sky day which is still not the best for photography but one heck of a lot better than the mono tone of grey I had the other day.

I travelled north of Simpsons Beach over the winding and hilly road through the Coromandel Forest Park towards Kuaotunu turning right into the little village just before the highway takes a sharp left and runs along the coast towards Matarangi and on over the range to Coromandel Town on the west side of the peninsula. 

We've explored the Kuaotunu Peninsula on our last visit to the Coromandel but there's nothing like revisiting one of your favourite areas again and especially when it's such a lovely day. 

Once through the village it's onto the notoriously steep, narrow and gravel Black Jack Road which climbs steadily up and over a headland. I stopped at the top to take a photo looking back towards Kuaotunu Beach, Rings Beach and the far one, Matarangi. Hidden behind the tree is Whangapoua and way out of frame the world famous New Chums Beach (all links are of my blogs from previous visits).

Just a little further on and the road drops down to the first of my hidden gems; Otama Beach. I stop again to take a quick photo, there's no traffic on the road so I'm able to pull up when I see a gap between the trees. 

This may be of interest to some; see the square dark colour building towards the bottom left? (click the photo to enlarge). It was the 2003 Home of the Year & 2005 Home of the Decade. It appears often on TV and in magazines to do with architecture, home & garden or holidays, click the link to see more. I'm sure that green shed above it must house a spa pool! Actually I doubt it as the bach has a bath on wheels which can be wheeled out onto the deck.

Otama Beach is stunningly beautiful and totally deserted except for one lonely swimmer.

I zoom in along the beach towards the small holiday settlement at the far end of the beach and spot the swimmer's partner sitting in the dunes. The glare off the white quartz sand is intense, sunglasses are definitely needed today.

I carry on to the settlement at the end of the beach where there's a large grass reserve overlooking the beach and the Otama River outlet. There are a number of large gnarly pohutukawas hanging off the small cliffs above the beach... 

...and stairway access down to the beach.

At the bottom of the stairs a swing hangs forlornly off  a large pohutukawa branch and in the loose sand, hundreds of footprints belie the fact that the beach is once again, deserted.

Then it's back in the ute and up and over the next headland, stopping again at the top to take in the views. This one is looking out towards the Mercury Islands.

And then it's down the otherside to gem #2 (and IMO the jewel in the crown of nearly all the Coromadel Peninsula beaches)...

This is beautiful Opito Bay...

...with it's dazzling white sand and crystal clear waters. And just like Otama, the sand squeaks under foot too- overseas, white quartz beaches are often called 'singing beaches' because of this sound.

At the far end of Opito Bay there's a walk out along the headland to the Opito Point Pa site, and like most headland pa sites it has 360 degree views and is surrounded by steep cliffs which would have thwarted approaching attackers.

The front lawn is a public reserve, but how's the position of this holiday home. You can see a corner of it in the photo above. I have my lunch at the picnic table enjoying the warm sun and the sound of silence.

Opito Bay has gone a lot more upmarket since our early days of visiting it by boat and anchoring in the bay. Many of the traditional baches have been replaced with flash new holiday homes and instead the old trusty (& often rusty) tractor parked in drive, Sealegs on Stabicraft boats are now the norm. 

This guy trundled along the road behind me, then across the reserve, down the access track, across the beach and into the water. Then with hardly a hint of hesitation, he started the outboard, raised the legs and was off. I can see why Sealegs are so popular; it was so much quicker than hauling the boat down there on a trailer, launching it, having someone hold the boat and park the tractor, etc.

This is one of my old photos, taken from our launch in January 2007- those are tractors and trailers lined up along the beach waiting for their boats to return from a day's fishing. Opito Bay provides the shortest and most direct route to the Mercury Islands so it is popular place in the height of summer.

It was time for me to head to the next hidden gem which is indeed quite well hidden, and not so well known.

Matapaua Bay is a tiny little bay with just a handful of houses, tucked into the south side of the Kuaotunu Peninsula and fronting the north side of Mercury Bay (does that make sense?- check the map below for more detail). The road over to the bay is very narrow, steep and winding and not recommended for anything larger than a regular vehicle.  

It's late afternoon by now and the sun is quickly disappearing off the beach. It takes me all of  5 minutes to walk from one end of the bay to the other and I'm sure I'm the only one to have set foot on the beach in days.

From Matapaua Bay I zoom in on The Twins/Motumanga, two small island rocks in Mercury Bay that are popular for fishing and diving around.

I spot some movement at the far end of the beach and watch as a pair of endangered New Zealand Dotterel/Tuturiwhatu hurry along the tide line in my direction. I sit down in the sand and wait for them to pass. 

They scurry along for a few metres then stop and probe the seaweed, them move again, stop, probe, look, probe, then it's off again, their tiny little legs moving in a blur as they change course quickly when a sand hopper bounces out from underneath them. For a change they weren't too worried about me sitting quietly in the sand and I was able to get some great shots of them as they moved up the beach and then back past me again. This is their territory and they must spend all day sweeping back and forward along the beach. 

It was time for me to head home after a very successful and enjoyable day exploring, and not for the first time, I think how lucky I am to be able to experience these magic days.

Lottin Point & Another Wharf- East Coast

Catch-up

We'd heard about Lottin Point a few times but hadn't managed to visit it on our last (one and only) road trip around the coast. Then, the road across the top from Waihau Bay to Hicks Bay, seemed to go on forever winding it's way through native bush and pine forest interspersed with sparsely populated farmland. And to be honest, we were in a hurry, we'd stayed in Waihau Bay and had to be in Gisborne the next night and visit East Cape and all the settlements down the coast along the way. Ha! Those were the days- 3 days off, lets race around the East Coast, that'll be a relaxing trip. Not. 

Now that we were based in Te Araroa for a few days we could take a leisurely tiki tour to check out Lottin Point. The road climbs sharply over Haupara Point at the end of the bay, we stopped at a break in the bush (it's actually a landslide under repair) to take a photo looking back along the magnificent coast to Te Araroa tucked under the cliffs at the far end.

...and then it's over the top and another stop at a lookout for a view out over Hicks Bay. We'll call into Hicks Bay on the way home. When we do day trips we find it best to head to the furthermost point first and then explore on the way home otherwise we either run out of time, the weather changes or we get tired and can't be bothered driving any further. 

It's 30kms to the Lottin Point turn-off at Potaka and another 5kms down a very narrow winding road and part gravel track to a bay at the bottom of the hill. We're not surprised when we see a familiar caravan ahead of us, it's Lyn & Sean from Greymouth. 

They'd been parked behind us at Moreporks Nest for the last few days and we'd said our goodbyes earlier in the day. They thought they might head to Lottin Point but were unsure. Looks like they have decided to go for it.

It's a surprise to see a Lottin Point motel sign and then the motel itself half-way down the hill. This is a long way from civilization but wow, what a spot to come to if you're looking for solitude or perhaps to go fishing or diving. There's a helicopter pad at the front of the lawn so I expect a few guests arrive that way. 

Once we get to the bottom of the hill  the road passes through farmland heading towards a little bay tucked into the elbow formed by Lottin Point.

Not far from the last drop down into the bay we have to stop to open a gate. I'm excited to see a small herd of water buffalo in the paddock beside the gate.  I say a friendly hello to the bull who has wandered over to see what I am doing and I reach back into the ute to get my camera. Just as I take this photo he decides he doesn't like me and bellows and jumps at me. 

I have never moved so fast in all my life, the trouble is David had pulled the ute in close (so the caravan could pass) and I couldn't get around the end of it because of a ditch. Thank God for the electric wire along the top of the fence because like many things on the Coast, the fence is pretty flimsy, he stops just short of the wire. And actually, I have moved as fast, when a large monkey baring a mouth full of very sharp teeth tried to climb in my car window in Langkawi- I ended up sitting on David's lap and the gear stick and he couldn't drive away! 

Lyn & Sean carry on through the gate but they wait for us to pass them again before they attempt the last stretch down to the bay. It's a very narrow gravel track through some large trees with overhanging branches and there's also been a wash-out. It would be touch and go for us to get the rig down here.

The finger of land that is Lottin Point reaches out into the Pacific Ocean, the track ends at a tiny rocky bay tucked into the bottom of the point. The water is a deep emerald green, crystal clear and sparkles in the sun. Great swathes of kelp attached to the rocks sweep back and forward in the tide, this would be the perfect place to fish, dive and kayak or just have a swim in the calm waters. A local lady is collecting seaweed for her garden.

Huge gnarly old pohutukawa trees line the shoreline, many with large clumps of the epiphyte Astelia (also know as Perching lily, Kahakaha, or Widow Maker) growing in their branches. Don't you love the 'Widow Maker' name, imagine the damage a clump of that would do hitting you on the scone! It's pleasing to see that one monster tree that has lost it's footing and been blown over, has many new shoots along it's truck and branches. But it's also sad to think of what Myrtle Rust may do to these beauties in the future. 

There's not much space to set up camp as much of it is uneven or deep gravel and there's also a small ford to cross to get to one area. There's a strip of grass along the back of the beach and a grassy area set back off the water behind the pohtukawa. A fisherman has left his vehicle on the only flat spot in one area, a house truck is behind the trees and Sean & Lynn find the last flat area in the middle.

We leave them to set up camp and drive down to the end of the bay to have lunch, they join us for a coffee afterwards and then we say our farewells once again. Easter is fast approaching and they think they'll stay put for the long weekend- wise people.

We head back up the road; here's another photo showing you the track through the trees and a little of the washout just in case you're thinking you might visit in your motorhome. Sorry, it's not quite in focus, I was holding on as we bumped our way up the track.

The water buffalo had moved on and had been replaced by a number of piglets of various sizes who were wandering about or sunning themselves along the side of the road. They weren't in a hurry to move either.

At the top of the road I took one last photo and it was then that I spotted another herd of buffalo...

...lazing about and wallowing in a water hole. Many of the cows had calves with them. 

We headed back towards Hicks Bay, on the way up I had noticed a sign on a gate 'Nipple Hill Farm', and thought that's a rather odd name to call your farm. There must be a story behind it. Well there is and here it is, Nipple Hill, which can be seen very clearly when you're heading east.

We turned off into Hicks Bay where it's interesting to see the signpost as we pass the school. Kura is short for Kura Kaupapa which is a Maori language immersion school. I'm sure there are a few around the country (and especially on the East Coast) but this is the first one I've been alerted to by the signpost.

At the end of the bay are the old freezing works ruins; one of the reason there's another old historic wharf here on the East Coast.

The road- or track because surely it can't be called a road- into the historic Hicks Bay Wharf hasn't improved one iota from our last visit here 7 years ago. It might not have improved but it certainly is no worse, it's still mostly mud and large water filled pot holes.

Access to the top of the rickety wharf is blocked off but you can wander around underneath it at low tide.

The rocky platform provides an ideal place to fish from too, can you see the guy up under the wharf near the edge.

But it's the nearby rocks that are obviously the best place to fish from, these locals told me they've been here for much of the day and they have a sack of fish. One of the guys tells me to select a fish or two from the bag, I don't know why, but I politely decline. They then show me the large kingie and huge sting-ray that are chasing their bait back and forward along the edge of the rocks.

We leave them fishing, one of them pulling in another kahawai, as we bump our way back over the track and head for home. Done for another day.

The Best of 2017

Real-time

I haven't done a 'Best of' for a couple of years, which is a shame because we have had fabulous experiences every year and every year is so different. I also know I'd have had numerous contenders for each title as I have had this year too; it's very hard to choose but here goes, click the links to read the relative blog post...

Best Nature Encounter -

That would have to be our little monster from the sea, a just-weaned female sealion pup who was angry at the world. Seen at Hinahina in the Catlins.

A close second (and on the same blog post as above) would have been this huge lump of lard, an Elephant Seal who we visited in nearby Pounawea Estuary.

Best Road Trip

This one was a hard one, we do so many road trips, it's how we explore this amazing country. We set up camp and then over the next few days or weeks we fan out exploring all the backroads and places of interest. Over five years the Ford Ranger has done 40,000 kilometres more than the 5th-wheeler; that's a lot of exploring. I decided the winner this year was our road trip into the interior, visiting the Ashburton Lakes and Erewhon Station; a bucket list place I'd wanted to visit since we've been on the road. Seeing Mt Sunday (LOTR's Edoras) was an added bonus.

Being able to visit the lakes again a few days later after more snow had fallen was also a highlight.

Best Paid Attraction

Bill Richardson Transport World wins this one hands down; an absolutely amazing display, reputedly the largest private collection of it's type in the world. Give yourself all day and then some to explore though.

Best Day Walk

The spectacular 8.4km return walk to Mt Arthur Hut, located in the Kahurangi National Park. If you're feeling able and fit, return via the steeper Flora Hut track.

The most taxing, but still spectacular, walk we did was the Waikaia River loop at Piano Flat.

I need to add another Day Walk in here too, this one wins the best shared walk because we did it with a special bunch of people, walking (and entertaining each other) all the way to Harwoods Hole.

Best Natural Phenomenon

There are no doubts with this one, after chasing the Southern Lights on several occasions and managing to shoot varying strengths, I finally struck gold with a magnificent aurora in May. Absolutely mindblowing and the highlight of the whole year.

Best 'Shiny' Trip

We love exploring 4WD tracks and the South Island has more than its fair share. This year we added quite a few more to our 'Done!' list, including the challenging Carricktown & Young Australian Waterwheel track. It didn't help that we probably should have travelled the track in the opposite direction.

Best DOC Camp

Once again we've stayed at many DOC camps through the year and we have enjoyed them all but this year I'm choosing Piano Flat in Southland as the winner; there are a number of reasons it ticks the boxes; it's an isolated very well maintained camp, it's beside a beautiful river, the bird life is phenomenal and best of all, we had the camp to ourselves for most of our stay.

Best Weather Experience

This would have to be waking up to a icy winter wonderland and a minus 12c frost in the remote Ahuriri Valley. Thank goodness for diesel heaters.

A close second would be the early evening snowfall we experienced at the Methven campground where we were staying.

And at the other end of the scale, the worst weather we experienced (other than more than our fair share of rain) was nearly three days of fog at Lake Benmore!

Best Bird Encounter

It was a toss up between these gorgeous penguins in the Catlins and their Dance of the Hoiho...

...and one very confiding juvenile NZ Falcon/Karearea at Poolburn Dam.

Best Commercial Campground

Pakawau Beach Camp, Golden Bay- by no means the flashest campground, Pakawau is one of the old school Kiwi camping grounds we remember from our childhood.

Pakawau Beach Camp is in a fabulous position right on the beach and has two of the friendliest camp managers we have had the pleasure of meeting on our travels.

Best Photo Oportunity

So, so many. Where do I start and how do I choose? In the end I've gone with the fabulous reflections on Wairepo Arm in the MacKenzie Country. Right place, right time.

Best NZMCA POP (park over property)

This would have to be NZMCA POP #8872, a POP that is very well hosted by our lovely friends Prue & Harry on their farm at Ettrick, a small settlement just east of Roxburgh.

Best Family Adventure

Too many to make just one of them #1. From Crank Up...

Celebrating New Year and camping at Pounawea...

...to having some fun on the Earnslaw with our Southland and Aussie families.

Best Dramatic Coastline

Ward Beach of course, and the unbelievable seabed uplift that happened after the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake.

Best Freedom Camping

Once again this was a difficult one as we have stayed at so many interesting freedom camping sites throughout the South Island, but I think Cattle Flat is one that stands out for me, not least because the Mataura was in flood and flowing very fast past just a few steps from our door but there were also some awesome cribs (baches, fishing huts) nearby, which made great photo subjects. Permission from the farm manager is required to stay here.

Best View

Nothing more than a Remarkable View...

Best Lake

This year Lake Onslow was the winner. We finally managed to revisit the lake and take 'Out There' with us this time so we were able to stay longer, enjoy the solitude and launch the dinghy for some serious fishing!

A close second was Poolburn Dam, a favourite lake of ours and on this visit we also managed to take 'Out There' in for a 12 day stay.

Best Special Event

We thoroughly enjoyed attending the 25th Goldfields Cavalcade in Omakau, Central Otago- well I did more so than David who is not really a horse person. 

Best Historic Visit

Well it is an historic high country station and I did want to include the Molesworth Road in my wrap-up for the year. This trip has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and after a few false starts we finally managed to spend six days exploring this isolated area. It didn't come without its hardships either; dust, a 1080 drop and a busted bridge all added to the challenge. Another top highlight for me.

Best Trip  *tongue in cheek*

Was it in the carpark outside the 4Square in Lumsden when I landed sprawled out across the footpath- gasping for breath and in great pain- with my groceries scattered in the gutter and across the road (I managed to have the store paint yellow danger lines on the offending kerb for my troubles). 

Or perhaps it was the tumble down the 5th-wheeler's steps which were coated in black ice (I'm sure I cracked by elbow on that one) or maybe the (thankfully) soft landing in the mounds of tussock after stepping into a hole at the end of the Lake Daniels walk. 

Nope, I think this one goes to my latest trip just because I did have to visit the hospital! Let's hope I learn to pick up my feet next year.

We've had a another wonderful year down South and we still have much to do down there. We will return eventually. But for the time being we have a busy year ahead of us up North. I'll look forward to sharing more blogs with you on the North Island and also sharing a few more exciting things that are in the pipeline including a visit to our newest grandson Otis, who was born on Boxing Day and lives in Melbourne with his parents, Lizzie & Jake.

Happy New Year to you all and all the very best for 2018, safe and happy travels.