Exploring the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel Peninsula

Well the past few weeks, since our last post, have been filled with one road trip after another in our new wheels. Dave's seemingly endless search for the perfect car, and it aint English, finally came to an end following the purchase of a Toyota Prado, apparently a very reliable indestructible car. We threw on a roof rack, bike rack, kayak rack and we're ready! Only thing left was for Cathy to become familiar with the Kiwi road rules to take the pressure off Dave always having to drive! Cathy would not actually mind a personal chauffeur except for the fact that she gets terribly car sick unless she's driving! Hmmmm ,windy roads i think.

Prior to our road trip, days were spent exploring the local mt bike and running trails in Kawerau, beaching it at the Rotomas, Dave prepping for his first multisport race held in Coromandel, and checking out the scenery on the east coast of the north island.

Last week we finally took off, tiki touring along the coast towards Auckland up to Orewa for a couple days, and then onto  Tairua to help the cuzzies business 'Mata beer' at a high school festival...in the pissing rain. Dave relived his years spent behind the bar, though lots were probably spent on the other side too, whereas Cathy served her very first beer from behind a bar!  We spent some time sightseeing around the 'the city of sails', the fish markets and shopping along Queen street- I think Dave found a reason to take up soccer again...cmon now...i had to drag CJ kicking and screaming away from the shops.

City of Sails... on an overcast day :(

Dave contemplating the possibility of these shoes...
flashier the better, eh?

Mata brew in Tairua 

Dave at Paku lookout in Tairua

Picture perfect New Zealand in Whangaparoa

Cathy's first swim in NZ...Kawakawa bay

Nice little road trip enjoyed by us both except for the fact that Cathy's intolerance for the windy roads definitely caught up to her...most of it spent reclined in the passenger seat trying to sleep away the nausea!

A couple of days of rest back at home base in Kawerau only to quickly refuel, wash up, repack and jump back in the car for Dave's first multisport race in Coromandel.  Amazing countryside along the Coromandel peninsula, definitely very picturesque and more windy roads!  Dave will comment even further on his race in his own race blog to come.... but don't hold your breath! All I will say is that following a struggle in the very rough unforgiving open waters of the ocean 2 rescues later he came up onto shore and had an amazing race!

Very relieved to finally arrive on shore!

Pre-race game face...very intimidating Dave...try again!

Transition area from run to last leg of the mt bike

Very long grind... 8 km to the top

View from the top of the bike section... doesn't really do it justice!

Finish line... 5hr 40min

We were fortunate enough the previous week at the Tairua festival to meet some others competing in the race as well.  They organized this weekend as an annual trip and entered 6 teams of 4 to race as a relay.  They kindly extended an invite our way to join their house party which allowed Cathy to experience her first Hangi in NZ. A Hangi is the old Maori traditional kai (feast), nowadays you typically see a 'whiteman hang' or "hang in a tin can " in which they steam the meat and veggies in a steel drum/container.  Delicious none the less!

Party wrapped up at 3 am with surprisingly no complaint from the neighbours!

Our Coromandal road trip slowly came to an end yet again tiki touring along the terribly windy road to Waihi beach to play in the water and camp in the bush ( we spent a few nights at a "city folk" campground where tents were spread no joke maybe 1/2 ft apart...we felt a little confined!!). Cathy met some of the harmless NZ species, the very large cousin to the grasshopper called a weta, eels (eeek!) and glow worms...sadly Cathy would probably have rathered not known that the cool glowing effect they give off in a dark cave is really the bug burning their feces since they have no bums! She prefers the glow worms she used to play with as a child! Following morning took a stroll up to the water falls for a quick cold dip!

The weta

Quick dip in the falls... Dave was kind enough to put on a show for a few tourist at the lookout behind us! WB would be proud for sure.

Finally back at home base in Kawerau spending some time tuning up the bikes and kayak, hanging with his niece and nephew and preparing for our departure down towards the south island after the weekend!

Cathy is finding it humorous how much Kiwi's like their pies, fush n chups, marshmallows, and jandals....although they don't seem to have a problem with walking barefoot everywhere either, including grocery stores?!

See ya, Kia Kaha

Cathy and Dave