We are staying in Thames; a town with an English name but certainly not in character. Situated some 140km SE of Aukland, at the gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula, it is a former gold mining town and retains a distinctly frontier feel. You half expect to see a stagecoach draw up and, the Youth Hostel, one of the oldest buildings in town which is a clapperboard building with a balcony over the pavement, is very characterful. You can imagine Lee Marvin or Tommy Lee Jones with their feet on it waiting for the baddies to arrive. The hostel also has a wonderful garden, which thankfully we have had two sunny evenings to sit out in and enjoy. Despite being so close to Auckland the peninsula feels very remote and wild, steep coastal and mountain roads open up fab views out over the sea. We spent the day driving around the area, visiting some of the forest parks – and a Kauri reserve; NZ’s biggest native tree. These are ancient trees (which can live for 4,000 years) which dwarf the rest of the rainforest. Impressive. Previously, we had travelled as far north as our visit to NZ would take us. We arrived at the Bay of Islands on Friday, after a 7hr drive from Taupo. First visit was to Waitangi; the place where the signing of the eponymous treaty in 1840 effectively created the state of NZ. There was a very politically correct exhibition; the old governors residence was well preserved and a beautifully carved Maori meeting house are open for visits. A waka (canoe) was carved to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing, using traditional methods is also on display. What do you do in the Bay of Islands? Get out on a boat and look at them. We spent the day on a tall ship – the J. Tucker Thompson- cruising around the bay. With a very authentic ‘pirate’ as first mate, Paul was soon pressed into service pulling on the ropes! We moored by an island, the climb to the hill at the top gave us wonderful views of the bay and Cape Brett. The wind picked up sufficiently on the return for the sails to move us, very atmospheric with just the crack of the wind and the creak of the wood. A school of dolphins joined us for a while. Magical!
Monday, 16 March 2009
Monday 16th March 2009
We are staying in Thames; a town with an English name but certainly not in character. Situated some 140km SE of Aukland, at the gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula, it is a former gold mining town and retains a distinctly frontier feel. You half expect to see a stagecoach draw up and, the Youth Hostel, one of the oldest buildings in town which is a clapperboard building with a balcony over the pavement, is very characterful. You can imagine Lee Marvin or Tommy Lee Jones with their feet on it waiting for the baddies to arrive. The hostel also has a wonderful garden, which thankfully we have had two sunny evenings to sit out in and enjoy. Despite being so close to Auckland the peninsula feels very remote and wild, steep coastal and mountain roads open up fab views out over the sea. We spent the day driving around the area, visiting some of the forest parks – and a Kauri reserve; NZ’s biggest native tree. These are ancient trees (which can live for 4,000 years) which dwarf the rest of the rainforest. Impressive. Previously, we had travelled as far north as our visit to NZ would take us. We arrived at the Bay of Islands on Friday, after a 7hr drive from Taupo. First visit was to Waitangi; the place where the signing of the eponymous treaty in 1840 effectively created the state of NZ. There was a very politically correct exhibition; the old governors residence was well preserved and a beautifully carved Maori meeting house are open for visits. A waka (canoe) was carved to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing, using traditional methods is also on display. What do you do in the Bay of Islands? Get out on a boat and look at them. We spent the day on a tall ship – the J. Tucker Thompson- cruising around the bay. With a very authentic ‘pirate’ as first mate, Paul was soon pressed into service pulling on the ropes! We moored by an island, the climb to the hill at the top gave us wonderful views of the bay and Cape Brett. The wind picked up sufficiently on the return for the sails to move us, very atmospheric with just the crack of the wind and the creak of the wood. A school of dolphins joined us for a while. Magical!
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