Coromandel Town

We’re coming across lots of tourists—Canadians, Germans, Americans, French, Welsh and a couple from Belgium. It’s great to meet and chat to them, as well as the kiwis out there enjoying our beautiful country. This is one of the highlights for us . . . people are so interesting. And the kiwis? New Zealand is so small, really. There's usually a connection somewhere if you listen long enough.

We parked up just outside of Coromandel Town at a CAP (Charges Apply Parking) property: "Coromandel Boat Storage".

 The view from the door of our rig:

 

They had a lovely garden area and the bird life was a treat. I managed to capture a photo of this pair of quail settled down on the lawn.

And then this kingfisher finally sat still long enough for me to focus and click. This photo was taken from the door of our rig.

Where we were staying was just a short trip into Coromandel Town and about a kilometre down the road from some old friends we knew from when we lived in Stratford, Taranaki (10 years ago now)—Basil & Dawn Avery. It must be about seven years since we were up this way. So good to catch up again. Don’t you love the way some people never change? Years between visits, and just the same wonderful people.

Coromandel Town has a population of just under 27,000 according to Tourism.net. I love the way they’ve managed to retain the past without appearing dingy. 

Dave tells me he used to ride a bike like this back in Te Kuiti delivering groceries as an after-school job. They were very front heavy when loaded up, and if he hit the curb, the groceries would topple out!

How old do you suppose this wringer washing machine is?

A testimony to Coromandel's gold mining history . . .

This colourful display caught my eye. A positive sign that Summer truly is coming soon!

One of the police vehicles I saw in town was an SUV. Now that's a first—I don't think I've ever seen a police SUV before. Station Wagons, yes, but not an SUV. Here's the local constabulary. Cute!

Dave went to check out this place, but the prices were a bit more than we were prepared to pay, so no smoked mussels for dinner.

We went for a drive (without the rig) up to Colville. It was nice to revisit an old favourite—Oamaru Bay.

It’s a delightful little bay with a bunch of homes barely a stone's throw from the beach. There's a camping ground to the left as well where we stayed in a wee cabin a few years ago when we were up this way on our motorbikes.

Looking out across Oamaru Bay was this little island.

Looking a little closer, you can see someone lives here!

Coromandel is well known for its artists, crafts, alternative lifestylers, recreational fishing and mussel farms. This is one of the mussel farms we drove past. They're easier to see when you a bit elevated.

We eventually arrived at Colville Bay—sadly, the tide was out. 

But this exposed the Loch Ness monster! Can you see it? (Tip: if you click on the photo it will enlarge.)

Here's a closer view. Very well done . . .

We stopped for an ice cream (the first for the “Summer”) at the Colville General Store before heading back to Coromandel Township.