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Coramandel Peninsula 2016 |
What's covered?
The Coramandel Peninsula is another of New Zealand's tourist areas that we had read about and that had been recommended to us.
28 November
The day did not start well as I could not find my main medication pack to fill up the weekly supply. Eventually we decided that the only solution was to get to Brenton Lodge at Whangamata and unpack our cases to be sure the pack was lost. The drive there was straightforward and the emptying of cases confirmed the pack had been left somewhere.
We phoned Chateau Tongariro but they could not find anything and whilst we were pretty sure it had not been left at Cambria House, we did check but still no luck. Rydges at Wellington seemed the next most likely and they confirmed the pack had been found. We agreed it was best to express post it to our next stop and we alerted them to expect the package.
With that resolved we went into Whangamata for lunch and to speak to a pharmacist. After discussing options, they kindly sold me a few finger prickers so that I could monitor my blood sugar levels. The hope was that through sensible eating I could keep them down and manage without getting a prescription.
We then drove out to Onemana for a lovely view of the bay and to see the waves breaking. Onemana means big waves but they were not too big today. There were a lot of lovely houses here and we guessed it is mostly holiday and second homes. We then went on to Opoutere as we understood we could walk around Wharekawa Harbour but the only obvious walk was along a narrow road. After a driving a little further we decided to return to Brenton Lodge.
In the evening we went to Argo for dinner and it was an excellent meal. We both chose the fish of the day which was pan fried snapper and it was beautifully done with a good amount of vegetables as well. We would have booked again for tomorrow but they close on Tuesdays.
29 November
The day started with a lovely breakfast on the terrace with the sun shining to make the view magnificent. We could have sat there for the day.
We first went to Hot Water Beach where in theory you can dig down into the sand and the water will be hot so that you can sit in it or dip your toes in. What we found was that you can only dig in a very specific area, that was already pretty crowded, and that it was pot luck if you dug in the right spot. After an unsuccessful attempt we decided to leave it to the younger more energetic beachgoers.
After that we drove to Whitianga, which is the largest town on the peninsula. After some lunch I had a hair cut before we headed back to Brenton Lodge via a petrol station to fill up before tomorrow's long drive.
We had dinner at the lodge rather than go into town again. A lovely meal in a lovely location, stunning view from our table.
Photos
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Brenton Lodge
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