36 hours in Coromandel town …

Leaving Matakana there is – what we call – ‘perfect travel-weather’: heavy clouds and light showers escort us throughout the whole day, until we arrive in Coromandel-Town. We move in into the ‘upper studio’ of the Indigo Bush Lodge and are excited about the first – and the last – rays of sunshine which get caught up in the heavy green bush around our little terrace.

Here we are, chitchatting with Robyn Lewis, owner of the lodge, artist and host, providing us with all necessary information around Coromandel and its lovely little town: the two cafes/restaurants to visit are the Umu Cafe in the center of the village and the Driving Creek Cafe right around the next corner. The latter is at the same time the starting and ending point of the ‘very touristy’ Driving Creek Railway, however, according to her still kin-of ‘very coromandel’…

Hence, a true blue recommendation…as well as the visit of ‘New Chums Beach’, one of the most beautiful beaches of the world (!) located nearby in Whangapoua Harbour.

While we follow her culinary recommendations all too willingly during the upcoming 36 hours and enjoy breakfast and dinner at Umu Cafe and lunch at Driving Creek Cafe, we skip the ride on Driving Creek Railway and decide that this fancy adventure has to wait – mostlikely – indefinitely. Sorry, but too much of a ‘touristy-little-having-fun-rail-flair’ and not exactly our bag.

And, after five beautiful beach days in Matakana, we decided to have a sandy beach break – irrespective of having one of the most beautiful beaches just in front of us…we are fancy discovering the coast and bushy hinterland, so we are leaving Coromandel with destination of Colville Bay: a lot of blue-greenish lonely Coromandel country! Somewhere out there we wonna leave the car and explore the country, sticking our noses into the wind and enjoying the scenery.

On our way we pick up two hitchhikers from Sweden, young guys with destination Port Jackson – by foot! – the most northern point of the peninsula, another 52 km! … ok … then Port Jackson, we thought, and ditched our plan in a split second, in favor of two Swedish guys. We pass Colville Bay and follow the gravel road toward Jackson Bay. Twenty kilometers of gravel road, right beside the ocean, crossing green bays, following the cliffs, up and down. What a spectacle! In Port Jackson we drop off our birds of passage. Their plan is to camp somewhere in Fletcher Bay. Enjoy! Whereas we hit the road again back to Coromandel Town…

The Umu Cafe organized a Vernissage with live music…We leave the Umu Cafe around 22 and its cool and windy again…Our thoughts are with our Swedish globetrotter up in the Northern part of Coromandel peninsula…out there in the wildness…whilst we are looking forward to our warm, cosy bed at Indigo….

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