Coromandel is named after HMS Coromandel, a former British Navy Ship that became a convict ship transporting convicts to Hobart and Sydney in 1819-20. She visited New Zealand where she undertook coastal survey work. She gave her name to the town Coromandel on the harbour where she stopped to purchase kauri wood for timber spars (long poles used as masts and booms) for the Royal Navy, and to the Coromandel Peninsula on which the town sits.

Coromandel Town

At one time Coromandel Harbour was a major port serving the region’s gold mining and kauri industries. Today, the town’s main industries are tourism and mussel farming. We were planning a walk through the town to see the many preserved historic buildings, but it was pouring rain, so we cruised by car instead.

Lillis House (1880s)

Former Hauraki Goldmining Company Office (1894)

Coromandel Citizens’ Hall (1880s)

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (1873)

James Homestead (1892)

Kapanga Rd streetscape, including the Old Assay House (1874)

Driving Creek Railway

The highlight of any visit to Coromandel, we were reliably informed, is a trip on the Driving Creek Railway. This narrow-gauge rail was built by one man with a vision and the singlemindedness to see it fulfilled. Barry Brickell was a potter, who dreamed of building a private railway (as you do). He spent some 20 years constructing 3km of tortuous track over 22 hectares of hilly scrub-covered land. He also planted thousands of trees and allowed the bush to regenerate. In 1990 the railway was open to the public. The 381-millimetre gauge railway climbs 112 metres up a steep hillside to a spectacular vantage point called the Eyeful Tower. It is NZ’s only mountain railway and traverses 10 bridges, 3 tunnels through native forest to scenic views. It is also still a working pottery studio, and you can sign up for workshops. As well as the bush scenery there is a lot of pottery lining the track. We took way too many photos, but here is a very small selection.

Zipline platform – the alternate way down the hill

Watch your head!

Retaining walls made of empty wine bottles

One of the tunnels

the face of our guide and driver Russell, who worked building the railway.

Spotted a Tui!

View from Eyefull Tower

Eyefull Tower

View from Eyefull Tower

Our train

Whitianga

From Coromandel we drove through more gorgeous scenery over green hills and coastal views to Whitianga, where we will stay for the next 2 nights. We checked out a few murals, and checked in to our accommodation, which is perched high on a hill – which means great views and an even narrower steep winding road to get there 🙂

Mural by Flox and Trust Me

Mural by Peter Nicholson

Mural by Peter Nicholson

A NZ Fantail stopped still long enough for a photo!

Mural by Charles and Janene Williams

The view from our accommodation.

To see the rest of the New Zealand trip (a work in progress at this stage) click HERE. If you are really keen click the subscribe link below and you will get an email notification every time there’s a new post.