Noted: Weekend Review - Coromandel Peninsula

Beautiful drive to the Coromandel Peninsula

We visited the Coromandel Peninsula in August on a particularly cold and rainy weekend. Despite wet weather and hazy vistas, I was absolutely shocked and delighted with the beauty of it all. Almost as soon as we unpacked our bags I started thinking about how we could get back in warmer weather.

"Bach"
In New Zealand there is a huge network of homes that you can rent for holiday (they call them "baches"). Bachcare is the site that we have used - but there are lots of other options (Bookabach, Holiday Homes, Holiday Houses). In the states the only equivalent (that I know of) is vrbo - vacation rentals by owner.

Whangapoua - rocks going to New Chums Beach

Budget
One of our family goals for our time in New Zealand is to see as much of the country as possible on a moderate budget. There are obviously cheaper places to stay (youth hostels, DOC campsights, freedom camping) but right now, renting a house is the best option for maintaining sanity and getting sleep. We have found the best way for us to cut back on spending is to pack as much food as possible (note the bins). Eating out is really expensive here and most of the smaller towns have tiny overpriced grocery stores.

Whangapoua

Whangapoua- low tide

So back to the houses we rented... the first one we stayed in was perfectly fine. Nice and comfortable in a really great location - Whangapoua. The highlight for Ben and the Max (as always) was the fishing. Maggie loved finding starfish at Opera Point - there was also a fun little rope swing that kept everyone entertained for an hour or so. My favorite part was the rocky walk to the secluded (and gorgeous) New Chums Beach.

We didn't bring a highchair and quickly realized that Jonah is at an age where it is confinement is critical. We rigged up a nice little device with a chair, pillow, luggage strap and cutting board - it worked.

The Waterworks

Whangapoua - New Chums Beach

We left Sunday morning and took a detour to visit The Waterworks - a quirky little "museum of sorts" that a friend recommended. It was worth the drive and the money. It is kind of hard to do it justice with words... a bunch of recycled materials put together in fun and creative ways to teach and entertain - all using water. They also have a great "kiwi style" playground with lots of "not-super-safe-but-really-fun" equipment... including a great zip-line (which is called a "flying fox" in NZ).

Hot Water Beach


Coromandel Town - The Waterworks

Whangapoua - Opera Point

Next stop Hot Water Beach... and my favorite "bach" ever. It's one of those places you never want to leave. The house is modest - the view and location is extraordinary, phenomenal, breathtaking, priceless... choose a word and add an exclamation point. I actually cried a few tears of thankfulness when I woke up to the sound of birds and waves on our first morning... it was short-lived moment - followed by the shrill screams of noisy children who wanted breakfast and an immediate trip to the beach.

Hot water beach is a natural wonder... and the fact that we could literally walk out our door with our shovel and be digging our own sandy hot tub in less than 5 minutes was amazing. We were able to hit low tide in the morning around 6am and in the evening around 6:30pm. I had a special evening soak with the big kids and we went back in the morning with the whole family.

Cathedral Cove - aka Narnia
We took a twenty minutes drive to visit the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve - also know as Cathedral Cove... and Narnia.

Picnic and lantern lift off

On our last night I packed a quick picnic and we ate dinner on the water right below "the house". The kids caught a few fish and released them into the deep tidal pools. After dinner we walked up to the house and had a "light the night party" before bed. It was special.

One of our unspoken family goals for our time in New Zealand, is to see as much of the country as possible on a moderate budget. The {weekend review} highlights some of "efforts" towards that goal.