Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand (October 2013)

Coromandel Peninsula… this area came highly recommended by a travel blogger who seemed to be on the same page as us. Not many people have heard of Coromandel outside of NZ, but the pictures and descriptions from the blogger’s review made it worth checking out. The road to get to through the peninsula is simply gnarly. Winding right up against the water and cliffs, not many guard rails and tight turns. I was driving at this point and wasn’t really sure what we were getting ourselves into. Luckily with much focus and good jams we made it to the seaside town without any casualties.

It was what I pictured and more, a quaint old western style town situated next to the sea. I wish we were there during the summer to be able to enjoy the water sports, but the views and small town vibe were still worth the twisty drive. We checked into the Lions Den Hostel. I absolutely LOVE this place. It’s family owned and very homey. I could have lived there for days, months… etc. Since the weather wasn’t cooperating for the aquatic activities, we decided to check out the Driving Creek Railway ("New Zealand's only narrow-gauge mountain railway along with a working pottery and wild life sanctuary"). We had a little time before our tour, so we went to the Driving Creek Cafe. This little hippie cafe was perfect on a rainy day. We had a grilled cheese with pineapple and a gingery winter tea. They also have free internet which is rare so we took advantage. I could have sat there for hours, but 3pm rolled around and we went up to the train station.

Railway station and pottery

Grilled cheese with pineapple & ginger tea

We spent about an hour riding up to the top and back. A sculptor spent 35 years building this railway to bring clay down from the mountain for his pottery. This might sound kind of lame to tour, but it was surprisingly interesting and the views from the top of the hill were beautiful event with the hazy weather.

Lookout point

The tracks are lined with various sculptures and the walls are held up in certain areas with recycled materials such as tires and glass bottles. I'm glad the weather encouraged us to find other attracts we wouldn't have experienced with our usual focus on bodies of water.

 The weather was getting gloomy so we decided to check out the local seafood and bring a picnic back to our home away from home hostel. We picked up some mussels, king fish and oysters from Coromandel Smoking Company and local vino from a wine shop… We sat in the covered garden patio and enjoyed a snack plate that would make our mom very proud.

*failed not taking a picture of the glorious snack plate :(