A Brief Break in the Winter Sun

July and August are generally the coldest and wettest months here in New Zealand and the time that the winter blues are most prevalent. So to overcome those blues we planned a little midweek getaway to the Coromandel Peninsula a few hours southeast of Auckland and booked an apartment at Whitianga on the eastern side of the peninsula. Fortunately the week saw the arrival of a high pressure system that brought four days of cold, but sunny conditions to most of the country. So after a frosty start on the Tuesday we set off arriving at Whitianga in time for a late lunch after which we took a walk through the town then settled in for the night. 

Whitianga used to be a family summer holiday destination for back for us in the '70s and I hadn't been here since 1996 when it was still just a sleepy holiday town. Elements of the sleepy town still exist, but it has expanded dramatically with a large waterway housing development. It still has a magnificent beach and fabulous views out into Mercury Bay. 

Wednesday dawned cold but brilliantly sunny with only the slightest breeze. 

We had decided to drive across the peninsula to the township of Coromandel. It was a stunning drive, despite the infamous winding roads. The last time I was here was for a wedding in the late '70s and the township hasn't changed much, lots of quaint little shops and eateries. We headed a little out of town to a the Driving Creek Railway. This is a purpose built tourist venture built by a potter who bought a 60 acre farm, planted thousands of native trees and regenerated the bush, established a pottery retreat and then as a labour of love built the narrow gauge railway that runs deep into the property. At first glance it seemed a little corny, but in truth it was a fabulous one and a half hour ride up through the native bush, across bridges and through tunnels to a height of several hundred metres, with superb views out across the gulf. Along the way, hidden in the bush snd surrounding the tunnels, were many pieces from the pottery. Dozens of Tuis,  Bellbirds, Fantails and Wood Pigeons flitted about in the trees. It was a great thing to do on a gloriously sunny day

Thursday morning dawned cold yet sunny again.  We had thought about taking the glass bottomed boat trip out to Cathedral Cove, but figured we could spend the $350 they wanted  better...and we did by visiting The Lost Spring.  This is a spa that features a number of hot pools, drawing water from a well bored 667 metres below the ground. This is a gorgeous place carefully designed around three pools of differing temperatures from cold to 41 C, set amid a lush bush environment, with Tuis squabbling in the trees above. You would never know that you were in the centre of town. We spent a few hours there before going back to the apartment for lunch. An afternoon walk along the beach and a drink in town rounded out the day.

Friday saw us on the road before 9:00 and back into the chaos of Auckland traffic by 11:30...and the sunny weather is set turn back to wet and windy stuff we expect in winter in the next few days.