Day 29 Shelly Beach, Coromandel Town and Whitianga

We left Shelly Beach and headed north on the Colville Road which not surprisingly took us to Colville.  Colville was New Zealand's home of "hippy culture" in the 70's and still retains the relaxed vibe that this entails.  Just north of Colville the pavement ended so we turned around and backtracked to Coromandel Town.



Coromandel Town



Coromandel Town



 

Coromandel Town once a mining town is now a haven for artists and craftsmen from all over New Zealand.

 

Maori Wood Carver



As we left Coromandel Town we turned inland and started to climb and boy did we climb.  It was one continuous S curve until we reached the summit. There was a scenic lookout at the top of the mountain which gave us a very unique view and was definitely one of those "WOW" moments.  You could see back towards the east coast of the Peninsula and see the Firth of Thames, Coromandel Town and the hills and foliage we had just climbed through. 



Islands in Firth of Thames




Coromandel Town




Coastline and Firth of Thames



Then, if you just turned around you could see the West Coast of the Island which was pretty spectacular in itself.  The town of Matarangi, Whangapoua Harbor, Otama Beach (I think) and the Pacific Ocean were all in view.  Quite a sight.   We just stood and looked for quite awhile along with a lot of other people. It just seemed to mesmerize you.



Matarangi and the Pacific Ocean




Inland from Matarangi



Pacific Ocean

Finally we headed off and down.  The way down was the same as the way up, one continuous S curve.  We eventually came to what I believe was Buffalo Beach, it could have been another small cove.  Regardless of the name it was a nice spot with a parking lot so we stopped to have lunch. 



Buffalo Beach




Buffalo Beach the other way



We finished lunch, took a few pictures, talked to a couple of locals and then took off for Whitianga.  After getting set up in our campsite we went for a walk downtown to have a look and to get a latte and hot chocolate. 

When we got back from the walk we found this camper parked near us and it caught us by surprise.  Not sure what to make of it.