Coromandel Activities

In the last three weeks we have been to some amazing beaches.  I can't believe all we have seen so far  just in the beginning of our travels.

While we were staying with Mel and Tyson we walked to a mall in Shore City to look for a phone.  We found a beach near by Takapuna.  The beach was covered with amazing colorful shells.  As we were walking the beach it began to poor rain.  The rain was warm and the air was warm enough that we were dry by the time we got back to Mel's house.

 Also while staying with Mel and Tyson we went to a beach just 15 minutes north of Auckland called Brown's Bay.  It was an awesome beach.  The water was really warm and shallow and it was a bright sunny day.

We got to Coromandel early to go to the winery so we stopped at Hahei Beach.  This is the beach Eddie stubbed his toes.  We just walked the beach and enjoyed the amazing view and weather.

Later that day we went to a look out called Shakespeare's Cliff.  There is a path to a beach called Lonely Bay.  We walked down to this tiny secluded bay and hung out in the afternoon sun.  It was so fun!

One night we went with Alice, a girl from Belgum, and Daniel, a man from the Czech Republic to Hot Water Beach.  There is a natural hot spring on this beach and when the tide is out there is enough room to dig a jacuzzi in the sand and sit in really hot water while the waves crash near by.  During the day the beach is so busy you can barely find a spot to dig.  Danny told us the local secret is to go when the tide is out at night.  We left at 11pm, found the hot springs while the waves were still crashing over them, and waited for the tide to go out so we could start digging. We joined digging efforts with a family who were there on holiday to dig a huge jacuzzi.  It took a lot of digging and we only had one proper ace (kiwi word for shovel).  Finally we had a whole big enough to fit us all.  By the time we were done digging the family was ready to leave so we had the whole jacuzzi to our selves.  We ended up digging too close to the hot spring so the water was too hot to bare on the right side.  We all squished together on the left side where the water was cooler and every so often we swirled more hot water to the left.  It was amazing.  I have never experienced anything so awesome at a beach.  We sat under the stars in a hot water pool we dug in the sand while the waves crashed 10 feet away with bioluminescence.  Going at night was the best local secret we got.  There was only one other couple on the whole beach.  Daniel pointed out the "Southern Cross" in the bright stars.  This is what the southern hemisphere dwellers use to identify which direction is south.  You can't see it from California.  Hot Water Beach was Eddie and my favorite experience of our trip in Purangi.

In the last week of our stay at Purangi Winery, Alic, Daniel, Eddie, and I went to a beach called New Chums near Cormendel Town.  It was rated one of the top 20 beaches in the world and requires a 20 minute walk over rocks and through the bush to get to it.  New Chums beach was another great experience.

Daniel and Alice

The view when you exit the bush after the 20 minute trek

 On the way back to the winery we stopped in Cormandel Town to get some fish and chips.  We found a small casual shop that was selling fish and chips with fish caught that morning.  It was the best fish and chips I have had in New Zealand so far.

View of Cormandel Town

The winery didn't open until noon and we did not need to start preparing pizzas and cleaning until around 11am.  I always wake up early and Eddie and I were usually going for a run by 9 everyday.  One morning we decided to go to a beach known as Cathedral Cove.  It is a famous beach in New Zealand because of the huge Cathedral shaped cave right one the beach.

Between the lunch and dinner rush at the winery, eddie and I decided to quickly go to a potter's house that was recommended to us by an American couple who came into the winery to eat and taste liquor.  We did not know what to expect but found an amazing sight made from a hilarious kiwi man.  He built his own house out of clay!  The potter showed us his house and casually talked to us while he did yard work in the backyard.

As you can see, our first three weeks in New Zealand were amazing and we still have sooooo much to experience!  We wish our family and friends were here to experience everything with us.  We feel so blessed and can't wait to see what's next!

Purangi Estate

January 20th, 2012

Devon and I packed up the car and left Auckland headed south then east towards the Coromandel Peninsula. We got a late start to the drive and ended up spending the night in a small town called Thames on the west coast of the Peninsula. We googled and found a Freedom Camping parking lot in which we could stay and sleep in our car for free. We located the parking lot, set up our beds, and fell asleep. We woke in the morning to the sound of a police man knocking on our window. Apparently there were only two designated spots in the parking lot for freedom camping and we were not parked in the correct spot. Also the vehicle must have a self contained toilet system which for some reason didn't come with our Mazda Capella. However, the cop was nice and let us go without the $200 fine!

January 21st, 2012

After getting off the hook with the cop we converted the bed back into a car and made our way to Purangi  Estate. We got a fairly early start to the day, thanks to the cop, and decided to head to Hahei Beach before heading to the winery. The beach was beautiful and we spent some time walking along and enjoying the sunshine. We reached one end of the beach were there was a big cliff with trees growing up and out towards the beach. Hanging under one of the trees was a rope swing. Naturally, I had to give the rope swing a go. I made my way onto the rock and into position while Devon got the camera ready to capture the moment. I swung out and back towards the beach into a running landing. I had just about come to a stop when I stubbed my left foot on a rock. I winced and did the stubbed toe hobble. It hurt but I have had worse and didn't bother to look down right away. After a few paces I glanced down and noticed that my pinky and fourth toe nails were bloody. I will let the pictures and video do the rest of the describing. If you are squeamish I would recommend not viewing the video and skipping the pictures. I lost both of my toe nails but they are fine now and they are healing. After performing some basic first aid at the beach we headed towards the Winery.

Purangi Estate: Friday, January 21st - Friday, February 3rd

Purangi Winery is a small rustic stop along north east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. Started and run by the Evans family, which include Bob, Anneke, son Danny, and eight cats. The title of Winery is a bit misleading since they don't actually make any of the wine on site. They do serve a Savvy(Sauvignon Blanc), Chardonnay, Merlot-Malbec, and an Aged Port. There real specialty is the wide variety of  Liqueurs that are made on site. Upon arrival at Purangi we were hurried into the Wine Cellar for a full tasting of the wine and liqueurs as well as the informative, fast paced, and comedic speech by Danny. The  main liqueur that Danny pushes is the Feijoa. The Feijoa fruit is more common in New Zealand than the Kiwi. In California it is called a Pineapple Guava. They also offer a Plum, Manuka Honey, Boysenberry, Tamarillo, Strawberry, Nectarine, Ginger, and Persimmon Liqueur. The real treat at Purangi and my personal favorite drink was the Farm Cider available in Feijoa and Apple flavors. The Feijoa was sweet and is 4% alcohol, the apple was really dry and coming in at 8% alcohol.   Our favorite and popular amongst visitors to the Winery was a mixture of the two ciders, 3/4 Feijoa and 1/4 Apple.

Our first Supreme Pizza and Cider

Outside seating area under the Kiwi vines. 

French version of a very popular book, any guesses?

Looking from the kitchen to the bar, shot by Devon.

Devon labeling some bottles.

Purangi Estate consists of a small bar, A Wine Cellar also known as the tasting room or shop. Inside and outside sitting area. My favorite part was the handmade, brick oven, wood fired pizza oven where all the pizzas were cooked. The back of Purangi has two bedrooms and a loft above the bar where WWOOFers and HelpXers sleep during their stay. A kitchen, walk in chiller and humbling bathroom. Danny also lives in one bedroom in the back of Purangi and watches over the business night and day as well as entertaining the working travelers such as Devon and I.

Our bedroom

The Winery also offers a small menu of food including a main menu of Margarita and Supreme Pizzas. Our main responsibilities included preparing, cooking, and serving pizzas as well as taking drink orders, bussing tables, and cleaning dishes. When business was slow we helped bottle liqueurs, label and clean bottles. When not busy at all Devon and I got to explore the local attractions which Devon will be explaining further in a post.

The bar

Some of my favorite moments at the Purangi were getting to know Danny our kiwi host, as well as the fellow travelers working along side us. We met Mellisa and Dominic from England, Roxy from Hong Kong, Alice from Belgium, and Daniel from Czech Republic. It was so much fun and entertaining talking about the similarities and differences between everyones language and culture.