Sadly, it rained consistently & violently during my few days in Coromandel, so I wasn’t able to see as much of the beauty as I was hoping to. Still, I could see through the mist that the dramatic coastline would be beautiful.  

My first night was in the small town of Thames.  Before heading further into the peninsula, I spend the morning walking around the downtown area of Thames – perusing the local boutiques and stores and grabbing breakfast.  Without a tourist shop in sight, the town offers all you could want from small stores: from toys and electronics to clothes and food.  

To burn off some of the breakfast calories, I hiked the quick Waiomu Kauri Grove Track.  The 3.4 mile walk to the Kauri Grove was a great introduction to the local bush walks in the area. The lush trees also helped shield me from the rain and wind of the day.  I was serenaded by the cicadas and rain as I made my way along a small stream and up through the kauri forest to the overlook at the Tapu summit.

Now that I made room in my stomach, I was ready to enjoy a fresh seafood meal at Coromandel Oyster Company. While I was originally planning on trying out their oysters, I got flustered by the menu (this was my first day in New Zealand), and before I knew it I was ordering a plate of fish n chips (which were tasty).  Luckily, I did get to try some local oysters at my work stay a week later, so I didn’t miss out on the local variety.  The shack has no indoor seating, but the covered porch was enough to keep me dry as I enjoyed my fresh lunch. 

My afternoon stop was at Driving Creek Railway. I wasn’t sure how it would be to ride an open air railway car through the forest in the rain, but with the ponchos Driving Creek provided, I was able to dry enough to enjoy the ride and artwork along the way.  As the narrow gauge railway traverses the switchbacks and squeezes through tunnels, artist Barry Brickell’s installations and sculptures pop out from the surrounding forest.  Brickell first built this railway as a means to carry the mountain’s clay back to the workshop, but as more and more people asked for rides, he realized that this could also be a public attraction.  We passed several viewpoints including the final one at the EyeFull tower, and I can imagine that on a clear day the vistas would’ve been impressive. 

The rest of my time on the Coromandel Peninsula I spent in Hahei. I’m happy I woke up early the next morning to complete the 4.5 mile round trip walk out to Cathedral Cove, because once the storm really set in, the route was closed – and remained closed for weeks afterward. 

Because of the wind and rain, the tide at Cathedral Cove’s beach was too tumultuous for me to gamble with, so I enjoyed the ocean view before heading back to my lodging.  

After a long day and night inside, the storm finally passed the next morning, and while I waited for the roads to reopen, I enjoyed a few walks along Hahei’s expansive beach.  I can imagine that this would be a wonderful place to spend a beach vacation when the ocean isn’t as turbulent.  Even with the road closures, several Hahei establishments stayed open and as people gathered to wait out the storm, it reminded me of how snow storms brought my neighborhood friends together in New England.