There are few places in the world that you can stay at in a Motorhome that would beat Long Bay Holiday park.
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The Beach
In the off season, this is a camp saver park too. Leanne is the very friendly camp manager and also runs the well stocked shop. Everything is very easy and laid back.
Just lovely
I was lucky to have 2 out of my three nights here with just brilliant sunshine and made the most of it by walking around to the next beach called Tucks Bay. Its an easy 10 minute walk around a coastal track which is well worth doing. There is also a gigantic Kauri tree and Kauri glade which is worth a look too.
Tucks BayComing back from Tucks Bay
But its just a neat spot. You can also hire boats or kayaks and go for a paddle around. There are 65 powered sites and three onsite caravans as well.
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Lots of parking
The Bay
The Autotrail corner
Kayaking
The walk back from Tucks Bay
Coming back from Tucks Bay
Interesting cabins
Dropping off the Kayaks
Auckland is over there somewhere
I went for a walk and met some of the neighbours. It is within walking distance rom Coromandel town (about 3 k’s) but probably a better bike ride.
While I was in the NZMCA park in Coromandel, I bumped into Ben and Agnes who were getting ready to go for bike ride.
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They were in their new 4year old Coastal Motorhome. This 8.2 m beast is on a Mercedes Sprinter base and is their 2nd Coastal and they love it.
One of the things I noticed about it apart from the fantastic finish is the huge feeling of space around the living area and galley.
Nice feeling of space.
This comes about by having the Toilet and Shower area across the back where it is most often found opposite the galley, closing the living area in. The Queen size centre island bed has no partitioning between the bedroom to the galley, also adding to that spacious feel. ..Interesting.
Looking forward.
The only downside I can see with this is there is no way of closing the bedroom area off from the living space but then you might not want to 🙂
Nice galley area
There favorite destination is anywhere in the South Island where they’ve been 4 times in the last couple of years.. a lovely Motorhome.
It has been a few years since I was last in Coromandel town and that is partly due to meeting an oncoming logging truck on a blind bend a few years ago. He was going for it and how we didn’t connect or me disappearing into the tide, I still to this day do not know! Scary… Thankfully it looks as though they have done quite a bit of upgrading work to the coast road and it looks heaps better.
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Great view from the top.
It’s a great run up the coast and getting up to stop at the top lookout just before Manaia is always a treat for the eyes.
The Coromandel NZMCA park was famous for being wet and everybody crowding onto a small sealed area. Well.. no more. The whole area is gravel and it looks fantastic.
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The fridge has been upgraded too.
And a gate
Dry as a bone
The smokehouse
One of the nice things about this park is its location right in the middle of town. With the Coromandel Smokehouse right in front and a couple of pubs and the shops within easy walking distance.. what a spot!
Nicely positioned on the edge of the Tapu river coming out of the hills in Coromandel is Tapu Creek Motorhome Park. Unless you knew about it, you would never find it !
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It is in an absolute idyllic position right next to the river.
With quite few powered sites and hot showers and good facilities, it is also quite interesting with its slightly alternative decorations. . Really nicely done too.
At $15 with power in the off peak, it is very good value and the scenery can’t be beaten.
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Outside Kitchen
As close as you can get!
As you come into Tapu travelling north from Thames, it is about 5 k’s along the sealed Tapu Creek road into the hills.
BBQ hut
If you want somewhere nice a quiet and very good value, this is hard to beat.
Seeing 600 plus Motorhomes and Caravans as your first view coming into the top of Mystery Creek is always a nice experience. And the first person I see at the bottom helping with the parking was Noel who I met at Tokoroa a year ago.
The goings on in the parking area 🙂Rafe in the park
Once I’d parked Rafe, who should come rocking past on his electric bike but Neal who was organising the parking both then and now. He was saying that the team had parked nearly 800 vehicles in Hamilton so far. Given the effect of people getting over lockdowns and everything else, that’s a great turnout and a job well done for the parking team. This was just after lunch on Friday with two days to go!
Great show. Click on the image to enlarge.
They did a great job and everywhere you looked, just about completely surrounding the main Pavilion were Motorhomes and Caravans. A great sight. Nicely done Team Waikato !
It is very rare for me to get Fiona interested in going to one of these so we both arrived early on the Friday afternoon. The show was well into its second day so there were plenty of people there and it looked great.
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What you see as you drive in.
Coming down the Mystery Creek hill there was a glorious sea of white roofs for miles. The parkers looked like they had done another great job getting everyone in. Lots of happy faces and a good atmosphere.
After settling down Rafe, opening some vents and having a cup of tea, it was off to the show to see what was new.
As we walked in..
The show was considerably smaller due to the postponement and Covid but there was still plenty to see.
One of the first things we saw was the new Dethleffs Trend with the rear bathroom. Its amazing the difference it makes to the layout of the whole van as the usual cupboard like setup on the side completely disappears for a more open layout.
The Dethleffs Trend with the rear bathroom.
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The Trend
The Trend with the rear bathroom showing the space
Bathroom – Trend
The bathroom – Trend
The Dethleffs Trend with the rear bathroom.
The next thing we came across was the small Baileys D4-3 Discovery Caravan with the Awning that covers two sides. The space that the caravan doesn’t use on a pitch is covered by an almost wrap around awning.. really unusual and neat to see a different way of getting space.
The Bailey with the BIG surrounding awning.
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The Bailey with the BIG surrounding awning.
Inside the Bailey
The Bailey lounge area
Quite a lot of room for a small Caravan – Bailey
The Bailey with the Awning
We checked out the NZMCA stand and it was nice to see Ryan and the rest of the team there.
Ryan and the NZMCA team.
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Lots to see
A Pilote A class my first look.
The Pilote Aclass
Pilote A Class
Pilote A class Galley
Old and new VW’s
Bits anyone?
ACM Motorhomes
NZMCA #1
Outside in the eating area.
Matching set
After having a good look around, we headed outside to see the vintage caravans. I love what these guys do to these lovely cars and caravans, and the effort that is made to keep these in such good shape.
Alex with his Caravan
I was getting some piccies of one when suddenly in front of me a smiley face popped into the frame and it was the happy owner Alex. The 59 Chev which he used to tow it was a perfect match in colour and it was easily one of the best there.
Alex’s 59 Chev ImpalaThe back of the Impala
It was happy hour time so Fiona and I headed back to Rafe to meet our neighbours and enjoy something wet and cold 🙂
The show was definitely smaller than usual but the fact that it on at all was amazing.
On the way up the coast to Coromandel is a little village called Tapu. It is roughly 20k’s up the coast from Thames and has two motor camps and a free parking area on the beach.
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The Parking area
I pulled in to the free parking area on the way up the coast and joined with three other overnighters nicely backed into the trees looking out at the amazing beach.
Nice beach
Several of the other Motorhomers had Kayaks and were out fishing off the beach from their Kayaks when I popped in.
A great spot and the price can’t be beaten .. Free!
One of the only holiday parks close to Thames is the riverside Dickson’s Holiday Park and you do actually get to park right next to an amazing river.
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Just behind where I was parked.. Nice spot
I cruised in on my way up to Coromandel and was welcomed by the owner Neil who with his wife Cindy have owned it for 4 years. Dickson’s was set up in the early 1950’s by one of the Thames district councilors and was once a Gold Mine.
Neil and Cindy
Neil was saying that where the toilets, showers and kitchen on the top of the hill are was the stamping battery and it was powered by a huge waterwheel that was alongside and fed from the river. Where the pool is now was access to the mine itself. Amazing history.
The Ablution block that was a stamper Battery. The huge waterwheel was beside it.
I was parked right next to the river where you can walk down to a grassed area with seats. Quite therapeutic just sitting there watching and listening to the water run past.
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The pool that was a gold mine.
Looking up the river.
Neat Mosaics
The memorial rock to Mr Dickson
Just behind where I was parked.. Nice spot
A lovely spot to park with easy access and big flat spaces and with 28 powered sites. There are some cabins and onsite caravans for those without a motorhome or caravan.
I found this quite a magical spot and will be back with Fiona.
Neat Caravans
The park is about 8 k’s north of Thames on the right in Tararu.
The Illume Festival in Coromandel was one not to be missed. The last time I was at this event was in 2016 so a return visit was well overdue 🙂
Click on an Image to enlarge.This year the good folk of Coromandel were also celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the the HMS Coromandel which the town and peninsular are named after.
Neat gear
The Thames Coromandel District Council, local businesses and locals all pitch in to make this a great event. Nearly all the local shops are dressed up with decorations based on lights and there were several stalls selling food.
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Locals manning the food stall
Lit up Trees
Dressed up shops
One of the better dresses
Light and more light
Cute kids in their gear.
Street performers
Bright umbrella
Pedal parade
The main parade
More from the parade
At 7pm the main parade started where there where everyone was dressed up and adorned with led lights. It was a great scene.
A great event which was topped off by a massive fireworks display.
Don’t you hate it when you’ve just filled your LPG bottles up when its a mission to squeeze it back into the Motorhome LPG locker!
Not much room to come and go on.
I was in having some work done on Rafe and Peter the Engineer said “what’s that tape measure doing in your gas locker?” ahh says I. That’s for when you get to an LPG station and you discover that your LPG bottle has expired and you need a new one and making sure it’ll fit in the locker.
The bottles can vary in diameter around the waist by up to 10cm each ! With two bottles in the locker, that’s the difference between getting them in or if you can get them in together, being able to shut the door!! Who would have known !
Bottles in their locker
I found this out the hard way the first time, by just trying quite a few bottles to get two that fitted in the locker together.
Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.
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