Two hours after staggering to bed (we hadn't even been drinking!), the wind shifted. The motion became tolerable, then comfortable, and then non-existent. By the time we arose in the morning, it felt aboard as if Begonia could have been out of the water, resting on a concrete pad. That is SO much better!
Hankering for some exercise, we rowed ashore to the beach for a circuit of the trails along the Muriwai Walk, which includes some stunning views along the northern Coromandel shore, and also Great Barrier Island, on the other side of the Colville Channel. On our way back, the last bit of the trail passes along the beach and past the camping area there, where we were able to stop and chat with a few nice people therein.
There is a strange juxtaposition between those of us on either side of the water's edge, even though our living conditions share many similarities. For those of us on boats, the Coromandel Peninsula is a big thing that is in the way, so to speak. Anyone trying to go by water from the Hauraki Gulf to the coast to the south has no choice but to pass right by Port Jackson. The Coromandel sticks way out and Port Jackson is the first part you encounter if arriving from the north. It seems almost silly NOT to stop in for a rest. Had the weather been better when we arrived, I'm sure we would have had more company in the anchorage.
For the campers, on the other hand, Port Jackson as way at the end of a long road to the end of land itself. The drive from Auckland can take most of a day. The last few miles of road is unpaved and steep and can probably seem somewhat harrowing in a big RV or while towing a heavy trailer. Thus, while Maryanne and I were chirping away about how Port Jackson made for a nice easy stop as we bopped along the coast, the tone of the RVer's narratives tended to be of surviving a real expedition to get to this most remote and cherished of destinations.
Our first day ashore we found a fine coastal trail to walk to the North of the bay (Muriwai Walk), and we especially loved the Port Jackson beach at low tide
Our next day there, we were looking forward to walking a different loop on the western side of the peninsula. Upon leaving the main road, though, we were confronted with a sign delineating the track as 'private only' for walkers with a specific tour company, the sign hinted you could access "with permission". As it happened, one of the tours was just finishing up now, so we approached one of the employees to see if we might be able to get that special permission for a short jaunt.
Alas, we could not. Even after clarifying that we only wanted to do the very short part at the end of the trail as some variety to the bit of the main road back, it was explained to us that the only way we could do that part of the trail was to sign up for the full three-day, cross-Coromandel hike with them. The cost was $800 – each. The $800 includes accommodation and meals. All we would need to do is the actual walking – no pack required. Uh, no. And not just because we have already catered our own lunch of granola bars and fizzy water. We decided an out-and-back along the public road would have to suffice.
Before climbing the main road, we stopped to marvel at (and lure with food) the eels in the local river
That road walk turned out to be just fine. The wide (compared to a a normal "trail") road allowed us to walk abreast, hand-in-hand, which is a nice luxury. The gradient was steep, but consistent, and in hours of walking, we only encountered half a dozen vehicles. We were even able to achieve a higher maximum altitude than the day before. I was surprised, at reaching that particular point, that Maryanne suggested descending almost back to sea level on the other side, until we could see what was around the corner, even though it would mean a steep climb back up. Since we were not on private farmland, we were also spared the necessity of dodging cattle.
Day 2 had us walking up the hill via the road to see some different coastal view
It was really nice to get some good walking in at last; not huge distances, but great exercise and some fine views to boot
Our days of offshore winds at Port Jackson were about to come to an end. Our previous experience at our arrival told us it was time to move on to better protection. Our destination for the next leg was Kennedy Bay, along the Coromandel's east coast.
Kennedy Bay is rather large. It is filled with fish farms and has wide mud flats between the water and the thin settlement ashore. We decided we would spend our time there aboard.
Well, sort of. On an after-hike swim in Port Jackson, I had noticed an unfortunately widespread covering of Acorn Barnacles on Begonia's newly painted bottom. The water had been too cold to think about dealing with it then, but I knew I was just kicking that can down the road. Donning the full wetsuit and dealing with it was to be our "one thing" for our day in Kennedy Bay.
Ugh - Barnacles!!! On our "new" paint!!!
It wasn't too bad. The barnacles were the only growth and they popped right off when touched with a plastic scraper. The cleaning was over in half the time I had budgeted for the task. Still, it was disappointing that only a few weeks after going in the water with pretty much the best paint money can buy, we were already having problems. Maryanne subsequently contacted our paint supplier, who conceded that all of northern New Zealand is having blooms that are overwhelming even their best paints this year. Apparently, the climate is changing, although that's not what the salesman said when he sold us our new Tesla. It's powered by Beautiful Clean Coal and it's reputed to be a great getaway car because you can't see it from behind.
Anchorage location: Muriwai / Port Jackson >> On google maps
Anchorage location: Harataungua / Kennedy Bay >> On google maps
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