On the way to Coromandel, we came across some
prehistoric remains, reminiscent of Dartmoor.
Just had to stop to snap Pagets Lane!
We stayed at a delightful lodge near Coromandel Town, overlooking Preece Point &
Mercury bay, where Kathy & Stuart were our friendly, hippy and hospitable hosts.
A room (kitchen) with some view!
The interior
The letter-boxes at the end of the lane are typical of NZ's home-made attitudes.
The name's Bond .....
Awaiting results of last night's breathalyser test!
Giant, thousand-year-old Kauri trees saved from extinction by 1940s conservationists after most had been exterminated. These are 9m circumference: they can reach 4,000 years of age.
The pillage goes on .....
but only pines these days thank goodness
A picnic spot with ensuite shower ...
Some of the insect life defies description ...
One mad Kiwi's folly - aged, asexual potty potter Barry Brickell, (he's the Cliff Richard of the peninsular) and took 32 years to hand-build the 2.6km of tortuous narrow-gauge railway track, to ferry his clay back and forth to his workshop. He's now turned it into a tourist scenic railway and using the proceeds to reforest his 60 acre hillside with native New Zealand trees. Luckily, he don't sing in public, even when it rains.
The little train climbs about 350 metres by a cunning system of loops and switchbacks, a precarious trip to the summit and his folly, the Eyefull Tower, also built by his own hand.
He also recycled thousands of bottles to form retaining walls.
