On Monday we headed for the Bay of Islands..."an island littered seascape with a mild, subtropical climate"...unless you are Portlanders...then it is a downpour. The number one statement we heard was "it hasn't rained here in 3 months". Glad we could help. We had the same effect in the Cook Islands..bringing a cyclone of rain.
We followed Fodor's rec's to take the "longer and more winding but more scenic" route. Wow...apparently the author doesn't understand motion sickness, or sitting in the car for 4 extra hours! The good news is that we did get to see the Waipoua State Forest and stood next to Tane Mahuta a Kauri tree that is 1200-2000 years old, 173 feet high and 45 feet at it's base. Pretty cool.
The forest was incredible....very much a jungle. We went from farmland to coastline to jungle. A long drive, but a pretty one....
That evening we made it to Paihia, where we stayed the night. We hopped on a ferry to the more "trendy" (ie expensive) town of Russell. The next morning we woke up to more rain..and decided to move on a few days early. No need to swim with the dolphins or kayak in a torrential rain storm!
Yesterday we arrived in Coromandel. Much improved weather, and a very pretty drive. We hiked into town for a beer and a delicious dinner. Then hiked back over the mountain at sunset. Reminded me of our dinner hikes, with Dean walking ahead of me in the dark, with a bottle of wine in his hand!
Today we took a ride on the Driving Creek Railway...this is one of the tunnels...reminds me of McMenamins.
Our train, and the platform at the top
A view of Coromandel from the top.... turquoise waters. Tonight we are going to do a "picnic" on our harbor view porch and watch the sunset. Tomorrow we move on to the other side of the peninsula for some beach time.....
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