March 12, 2014
Back in time, in NZ and the Coromandel Peninsula . . .
Now that we’d visited Cathedral Cove, it was time to head to the town of Whitianga where we’d check into our motel and get some lunch. But there was one more detour along the way, a place called Cooks Beach.
After parking near Cooks, we walked over to take it in. Wow, this was yet another impressive beach with an expanse of white sand and views of the mountainous Coromandel coastline around us. And even being the summer season, we practically had it to ourselves! Suddenly I was grateful for the long and difficult road to get to this area of the Coromandel as it keeps these beaches pretty empty.
I have to say this general area was in the running for having the best beaches in New Zealand. Below, a photo gallery of Cooks Beach (click any photo to enlarge).
Close by was yet another beach of interest, but at this point we were tired and hungry; it was time to head to town. We made a beeline to our motel, the Beachside Resort. It was pleasant, comfortable, and while not actually on the beach, it was a very brief walk over there.
Next, we headed to town. Whitianga, in spite of its proximity to the beach, actually lies along a channel leading inland from the ocean. Here the town is fronted by a marina and esplanade. Two blocks inland, Whtianga’s main street was scattered with shops and restaurants. This town caters to locals, vacation-home owners, and tourists, so it’s more active than its remote location might suggest.
The minute we got to the marina/esplanade, I was instantly taken with this pretty and charming place. Outside the marina, boats were moored in the channel, and there was a small ferry ready to take foot traffic across to an area called Ferry Landing. Ferry Landing has parkland, a bush walk, private homes, and the beach we skipped earlier. I hoped to get over there, but first we needed lunch.
We headed to a restaurant called Wild Hogs where we had an iconic Coromandel lunch: local mussels, fish and chips, and beer to wash it all down. Not surprisingly, it was terrific. Below, some photos of our lunch and a bit of the town….
By now we’d seen enough of Whitianga that we decided we’d love to bring our boat here. So our next stop was a visit to the marina office to learn more about prices, availability, and depths of the slips. We found that while we’d have to come into this area at high tide, we would otherwise be fine once we got into a slip. So, a dream was born. We were happily settled in Tauranga at this point, but maybe next year…
After stopping for ice cream cones, we bought a bottle of wine before heading back to our room. Rich was pretty wiped out. It had been a long day and he’d had enough. I opted to check out the beach nearby, Buffalo Beach, and walked over.
In this wonderland of beaches, this one could be considered just average, yet something about it was so pleasant. This was a good beach for sitting and thinking, enjoying the beach-y feeling without being distracted by a need to explore it or take a ton of photos. The evening sun was still a little bright, but it felt so good to be there that I wanted to linger as long as I could. Eventually I headed back to the room.
Later we ordered take-out pizza from an Italian place called Dino’s. While we waited we went to Buffalo Beach to admire the sunset while a half-moon hung over the beach.
and a panorama (click image for larger version)…
We headed back to our room to cap off this day with wine and quite-tasty pizza. Tomorrow’s plan included, you guessed it, more beaches.–Cyndi
