Thursday 7th, to Sunday 10th May 2026
Thursday – Coromandel Town:
We crossed the peninsula after visiting a couple more beautiful beaches on the east coast. The first was Cook’s Beach, where Captain Cook landed in 1769.
We went on further to visit Whangapoua beach which was equally as beautiful. The bay here has some islands which add to the attraction.
We also saw some interesting things which had been washed up on the beach:
The small town of Coromandel which is on the west coast, gives its name to the peninsula. It is a pleasant, one street town, with some interesting buildings.
We spent the night at the Tasman Holiday Park which is close to the centre.
Friday – Thames and Miranda:
Friday saw us leave Coromandel and head down the coast with the intention of heading towards the Northland Region, which is north of Auckland.
We stopped for a break en-route, where we saw some interesting birdlife:
The slightly larger town of Thames is down the coast from Coromandel. Again, it is a one high-street sort of place, but in this case, quite a long high street with lots of shops. They even have a McDonalds. We had lunch in a nice cafe there before moving on:
Making our way around the southern end of the Firth of Thames, we then headed north on the other side, to our stop-over for the night at Miranda. We stayed at the very nice, Tasman Holiday Park there, which is a self-contained site, a holiday destination in its own right. The local area does not appear to have much to offer, but the site takes advantage of the hot mineral springs in the area with a hot pool and many children’s activities. Sadly, I had forgotten my trunks (and my camera)! That night, there was a small earthquake which made the motorhome rock from side to side for a while. A bit unnerving!
Saturday – Puhoi and Warkworth:
Leaving the site at Miranda, we spent a couple of hours nearby exploring the local salt-marshes, looked after by a local ornithological trust.
Our goal for the day was to get through Auckland and make a little progress beyond. The traffic through the city was very slow. A collision perhaps? Maybe it is always like that. Auckland is such a busy city, easily the largest in the country and roads here are multi-lane with many exits. You definitely need your wits about you here.
As we left State Highway 1 to head to Warkworth, we saw a sign pointing to the heritage settlement of Puhoi. What a nice place. The museum showed how the original settlers, who came from Bohemia (modern-day Czechia), managed to survive despite unimaginable hardship.
We got to Warkworth mid-afternoon and visited the derelict cement works (well someone has to). Actually, it is an interesting place and you can see the kilns used.
Wilson’s Portland Cement Company Ltd was a thriving business with production peaking in 1910, however just before WW1 it had been struggling due to competition. As a result of the war, demand and capacity increased after German supplies stopped. The cement works closed in 1929.
We also saw some Sacred Kingfishers there:
We then moved off to our site for the night at the wonderfully named, “Sheepworld Farm Campsite”. This is part of a social enterprise which provides work experience/opportunities for young people.
Sunday – Whangarei:
We took the scenic route further north today, stopping to take some photos of a group of spoonbills feeding:
…and to take in the vista along the way:
The city of Whangarei has a port, a good few museums and art galleries and a nice vibe along the waterfront with many eating places.
There is also the National Clock Museum, which we visited and found very interesting.
The large ball-driven clock outside the museum, was sadly not working, but it looked amazing.
We also visited the Whangarei Falls which are spectacular:
That is it for today. TTFN and see-u-later.
"See-u-Later" 