Jandals & the Coromandel

At long last, it was time to meet my parents at the airport! We’d all been counting down to this moment for months, and it was hard to believe it was finally time to begin our adventure. As soon as they cleared customs and we excitedly greeted one another, the four of us headed straight to Gracie (our car) and hit the road, making for the Coromandel Peninsula. We’d all be spending our first night in a funky bach atop Coromandel Town.

We made the winding drive towards the coast and up the peninsula, and as we neared our destination and lunchtime loomed, we passed signs for fresh mussels. Yum! Although the first place we stopped only sold them raw, we were lucky enough to come across the Mussel Kitchen next. Not only did they have some of the best mussels I’ve ever tried (we settled on sharing a pot of white wine, garlic, parmesan & bacon marinated mussels and another of thai green curry with coconut cream & lime – yummmm), they also have their own brewery. Needless to say, none of us left disappointed!

After dropping our stuff off at the “Top of the Hill” bach, we set out to find a beach.

We had this one all to ourselves.

It was a good chance to get some group shots.

And some solo shots. (Sorry, Mom. I couldn’t pass up sharing this funny photo.)

Above the beach, there were views out towards some of the Coromandel’s many islands.

We all discussed how much we’d like to own a house up here.

There’s amazing water around every turn in NZ, it seems, but Coromandel Turquoise deserves its own unique title.

Time for a plaid sandwich! Really, I do love this photo of the three of us.

Missing you, Aidan!

Back at our fantastic bach, we took some time to explore the property.

In addition to a pool table and heaps of interesting details and decorations inside, the place had its own pizza oven. We didn’t get a chance to take advantage of it, but the owner did bring us fresh-caught fish and mussels from the family’s boat. We made a delicious dinner out of our gift, a healthy break after our decadent lunch. Can’t beat it!

There was even an outdoor bar.

And a walking trail.

You read that right – flying fox. That’s Kiwi for a zip-line if your’e not familiar. It was a whole lot of fun, and most of us took at least a couple turns. Only in NZ can you rent a house in the middle of the bush that comes with its own tracks and flying fox (for less than the price of a hotel).

The owner’s house was just on the other side of the property, and she’d told us to come down and check out the porch when we had a chance. Around sunset, we decided to take her up on the offer, and boy were we glad we did!

I don’t think you could ask for a better view out over Coromandel Town. It was the perfect way to end our first day together in NZ.

As the sun dipped closer to the horizon, the show got even better.

Disclaimer: I did make Andy wear his USA shirt to pick up my folks. Good sport, lad.

I wasn’t the only one taking pictures, and who could blame any of us?

As the sun sank out of sight, a straight vertical line appeared in the clouds. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Goodnight, Coromandel Town, you beauty!

That’s just a taste of the adventures to come, so don’t go anywhere. Kauri forests, waterfalls and beaches galore await you in my next installment. See you soon. 🙂