Category Archives: Coromandel 24

Coromandel 24

Cathedral Cove is Open!

Tim and Annette, my younger brother (not so little anymore!) and sister-in-law, flew over from Melbourne for a well-deserved break. It has been a while since their last visit, so when Tim shared his packed itinerary, we were really pleased to be able to join them for two nights in Hahei.

Click on any Image to EnlargeInitially,  Cathedral Cove wasn’t on the agenda, but with Annette being an avid kayaker and the iconic spot just reopening after the cyclone damage, it quickly became a must-do.

Hahei Beach

They had booked one of the Beachfront Villas at the Hahei Resort, and the team there gave us a motorhome park conveniently almost right behind them. Perfect!

The Villa’s

We arrived on a sunny Thursday afternoon and wasted no time setting up the awning and settling into deck chairs for some shaded relaxation. Tim and Annette arrived later after visiting an old friend in Tauranga. Luckily, Fiona had packed one of our trusty Bargain Box meals, which turned into a lovely, shared dinner, complemented by a few G&Ts.

The next day was all about enjoying Hahei. We wandered into the shopping center for a leisurely lunch before Tim and Annette geared up for their kayak adventure to Cathedral Cove. After a short safety briefing, they were off. Fiona and I opted for a swim back at the beach, enjoying the calm, sunny weather.

Getting instructions.
Tim and Annette at Cathedral Cove.
Pic by Cathedral Kayaks

When Tim and Annette returned from their kayaking expedition, we gathered on their villa’s deck overlooking the beach. The tales of their paddling adventure were as lively as the backdrop was beautiful. The early breeze had settled, leaving behind a perfectly calm day on the water.

While enjoying the afternoon back on the deck, a familiar face appeared at the top of the stairs, Caroline with a friend!  It had been a few years since we last each other, and after a moment of mutual hesitation (the “do-I-know-you” look), and after another old friend Chris, arrived in a car to confirm the situation, we pieced it together 🙂

Tim, Fiona and Annette enjoying a morning coffee on the deck.

Chris and her late husband, Gary, were old boating and motorhome friends, and we had spent many holidays together. It was lovely to see Chris and Caroline again.

The Deck bar area.
The amazing bar and social area.

Hahei Holiday Park has always been a favorite of ours, and this visit didn’t disappoint. A new bar, restaurant, and beach club had opened in the campground’s heart, a fantastic addition. That evening, we headed over for burgers and chips, and wow, those burgers were incredible! Quite possibly the best we’ve ever had.

Annette, Me and Tim at the Bar.

We bumped into Caroline and Chris again at the bar, enjoying dinner with their group.

The Kayaks

After another evening together on their front deck, we set off the next morning back to Auckland. We only there for a couple of nights but it was a lot of fun. Nice to see some old friends too.

Rafe’s tracker map to Hahei – Armada GPS
Coromandel 24

Coromandel Wharf

It’s a great area here but being spoilt for great food, we decided we’d better be sensible and make an effort on our last day here to walk off some calories, so after stopping in Downtown Coromandel, we carried on around the corner to the wharf.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

The last notable time we came here by boat. Two 12 metre launches with friends and while we parked out in deep water off the wharf, he was determined to get into the wharf for some fuel.

They got in ok but getting out again with the water running away was amazing with him sliding along the mud until there was enough water. I don’t know how he did it, but he was always a clever in this department and there must have been just enough water under him to slide with 🙂 Great yarn anyway but it is true. If it was me, I would never have made it 🙂

There were no clouds, no wind and little traffic so it was blissful just walking around looking at the boats. The wharf itself is tidal too so they sit on the mud when they’re in.

A great Bar and great food too

We dawdled back to the town and checked in for lunch.

As the sun goes down

After a quick look at a very clever Copper sculpture maker. We headed back to the Rafe for a G&T.

Rafe’s tracker map to Coromandel – Armada GPS
Coromandel 24

Downtown Colville

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How does the song go? “Well, I’ve never been to Spain”!  this was our first time to Colville and what a neat little place. I’d only been here a few minutes when I checked in to the General Store and the lovely person serving recognised me from having the Camera… we worked out it must have been in Coromandel.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

Lovely spot

This is the home of a newish POP Hereford N a Pickle. Great name! It is basically a fairly upmarket Cafe with lots of outdoor dining and lots of Motorhome parking in a rural area.

Colville Parking

There are some outdoor loos close to the Motorhome parking and a few minutes up the road is the General Store. Just along from the town is Colville Bay/beach which is a fairly shingly beach with some sand.

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

Downtown Colville
The Cafe and outdoor area
Entrance to Cafe
The Outdoor Dining
Character Loos
Post Office
Oamaru Bay where we stopped for a swim
Omaaru Bay

We parked Rafe and checked in for a Coffee and a Scone each.

General Store

There is also a Tennis court in the middle of the town as well if you’ve got your racquets with you.

Tennis anyone?

After a couple of hours, we headed back towards Coromandel and stopped at Oamaru Bay for a swim. The water was almost tepid. Just lovely.

General Store

We headed back to the Pub and again we decided the food deserved another sampling. this time it was Pork Belly for me and a Seafood Sensation that was unbelievable.

Oamaru Bay where we had a swim.

That was us for the day.  Well worth the trip 🙂

Rafe’s tracker map to Coromandel – Armada GPS
Coromandel 24

Enjoying great hospitality at Coromandel

We let Kaiaua reasonably early and started heading over towards Thames and onwards up the coast to Coromandel. After stopping at Kopu for fuel and the Supermarket for some last-minute provisions, were off up the coast.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

The sun was shining, and the wind had dropped off nicely but there still a few puffs.

The Pub

After about 40 minutes of easy driving, we stopped briefly at the Mania seafood shop for some Oysters and other amazing seafood.

The Coromandel Hotel has a very small Motorhome facility at the back which is just delightful. Don’t come here though if you’re expecting flash loos and showers! While they’re quite functional, they would best be described as very Rustic 🙂 Their business though is selling Meals and Drink, and they do this very well. The food is sensational. The Gin and Tonics are great too 🙂

A Great Bar in Coromandel

After checking in and setting up Rafe, plugging in and opening vents, we set off to downtown Coromandel which is only 10 minutes or so walk.

Coromandel shops

After a Coffee and a look at some of the shops, we slowly headed back to the pub and checked in for Tea. The food was something else… see the images below. I had a Roast Pork and Fiona had a Seafood Chowder. Sensational.

Roast Pork
Seafood everything 🙂

A great part of the world!

Rafe’s tracker map to Coromandel – Armada GPS
Coromandel 24

Fish and Chips, and a glass of wine on the Coast!

One of the handiest new additions in the NZMCA parks has been Kaiaua. Its close enough to Auckland to escape the city and bunk down for a sprint somewhere further on with fantastic eating opportunities.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

Looking back from the bridge
Great parking

We were heading to Coromandel but with forecast 80k westerlies that day, we thought we’d delay it a day and sit tight. We haven’t been to Coromandel for ages, so we were both really looking forward to going. It was to be the next day.

The sun came out but was still windy.

We arrived in Kaiaua around midday, pleasantly surprised that the holiday traffic wasn’t too bad.

Great Food
Kaiaua Pub

The first thing to do was check out the Bayview Hotel. It’s my understanding that the chef that was at Fleurs in Moeraki has started working here so that’s exciting. We kept things simple and shared a pizza which was fantastic. Later in the day, we couldn’t resist the fantastic Fish and Chips at the Kaiaua Fish shop next door.

Backed on to the pub 🙂

After generally loafing around at the park and a walk around the marina, I caught up with part of the Dethleffs Owners Group, Andrew and Pip also in the park. Nice to see them.

The boat Marina

We popped in here not that long ago but it’s such a handy spot.

Rafe’s tracker map to Kaiaua – Armada GPS