Craven NZ 2021

[Cossie]

If you get a chance, and feel so inclined, drive the 309 road, it’s one of NZ’s iconic rally roads, good NZ gravel, smooth and twisty! You can also see Stuart and his pigs, (they share his house) on this road as well as the Water Works. Home – The Waterworks
Coromandel is a nice little town, as is Whitianga.
If things improve, sigh, we will be there in Sept.

 

[craven morehead]

Cathedral Cove: There was an option to catch a decent size inflatable boat from Hahei Beach across to the Cove at around $115/person basically for an hour all up including the boat ride. So we were still in Hahei at around 1.30 and the next boat trip was due to leave at 2.00 then not again till 5.00pm. So we, more so me decided we would have some lunch and then do the walk. This would sort of round the day out and leave enough time to drive back to Pauanui before nightfall. We got some very nice lunch from The Ice Cream Shop. I ordered a Pulled Pork Burger with Chips and the wife got a nice piece of Snapper with chips and all up with drinks about NZ$32. A lot of the businesses here are seasonal so not a lot of choice. We then took our lunch up to the start of the Cathedral Cove walk and ate it at the lookout.




So the brochures told us it was a 45 minute walk into the Cove from the carpark which incidentally you can only use in Winter. In Summer they shuttle everyone in from remote carparks due to the sheer number of people visiting. No real facilities at all bar 2 x drop toilets. You definitley need to take an ample supply of water. 45 minutes sounded ok ....... what were 2 middle aged overweight people thinking it was a tough slog at our fitness level.





So we actually made it across in the suggested timeframe. We were greeted with some lovely views not unlike some I have been to in Thailand.



Looking back in the direction we had come from.



The Cathedral Arch



When the tide is out you can walk around to the next cove on the left.



A young fella flying his drone trhough the arch and around the headland.



Quite a lot of steps at the beach end to keep us old codgers puffing.



The other alternative that would have cheated us of our sense of achievement!



We were knackered when we got back to the car but really glad we made the effort. Nothing a sauna and bottle of red won't fix tonight

 

[I love to travel]

As I sit here in lockdown very jealous

 

[craven morehead]

A sauna followed by a G&T helped soothe the muscles before dinner

We walked down the few sets of stairs to be greeted by this on the restaurant deck.



So one relaxing pre-dinner drink in the lounge prior to being seated.



We opened the batting at the table with a Shiraz and a local coughtail The Puka Perfect or something similar.



Entree for me was an excellent Cream of Mushroom soup.



The wife backed up again with the Butter Fried Crab Cake for starters.



Tonight I decided to run with the Chefs Special: Venison Curry served with rice, flatbread and pappadum. Very tender and tasty and the flatbread was also done well. Worked perfectly with a Shiraz



Mrs.CM chose the Greenlea Fresh Prime Eye Fillet: Fillet Mignon, Pommes Anna, French Bean served with Wild Mushroom Sauce. She was very happy with her meal.



No dessert tonight. Very happy with all meals to date

 

[craven morehead]

Had a bit of a lie in this morning after yesterdays hike and then attended to some emails. So a late breakfast this morning about 9.45 which was both tasty and filling and just as importantly Platinum free!



Todays trip is virtually doing a lap of State Highway 25 from Pauanui. We didn't get on the road until near enough midday.



The road across to Thames was half mountainous and half normal by NZ standards. The wife missed this on the way in as she had dozed off.
Once we headed up the coast along the Firth of Thames it was basically beachfront road 2/3's of the way to Coromandel. Twisting, turning, tight corners in places at 25km/h, 3 lots of roadworks and a few semi-trailers be aware of on the narrow roads. The truck drivers over here really earn their money. Unfortunately didn't get any photos on the way up to Coromandel. Definitely not as scenic as the other side of the penisula but hey I'm overseas! We drove straight through to Coromandel where we would have lunch.

Coromandel, also called Coromandel Town to distinguish it from the wider district, is a town on the Coromandel Harbour, on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula.

A typicaly quaint village with plenty of food and beverage options. I bought some lunch and coffee at the Coromadel Bakery so we could use the tables provided out the front and the wife grabbed some Snapper & Chips from the Take-away. We sat down and enjoyed lunch for half an hour before going for a walk around town. You could definitely spend a few days here and chill out











We came across this groovy motorhome down the botton of the street.





Naturally I asked the chap who owned it if I could take some photos to which he had no issue whatsoever. I also asked him about his brakes as the roads are hard enough on modern vehicles around here. He assured me the truck had a modern braking system. He had purchased this combo of a mate 20 years ago and has been upgrading it ever since.

 

[craven morehead]

We left Coromandel and headed for Whitianga the main town on Mecury Bay. Once again we had some awesome mountain driving. I'm starting to feel like a rally driver! We pulled up at the reserve between Brophys Beach & Buffalo Beach to take a couple of photos.

Looking straight out.



Looking away from town.


Panning around back towards Whitianga town. Mrs.CM is mad about beaches, always has been!





There is a passenger ferry that travels across from Whitianga to Cooks Beach.


The ferry in action.


Apparently during Covid lockdown the ferry would take groceries across to anyone needing them on the other side.


So Whitianga was quite a nice place from what we saw and a lot bigger town than I was expecting. There are new estates opening up and the town is growing. At this stage the Corolla had done 600kms and I decided to top the fuel up and grab a water for the trip back to Pauanui. After 600kms I could only get 27 litres of fuel in the tank. We quickly detoured and had a look at Cooks Beach on the way back. It was a small place with not a lot going on. Now back to the Resort.

 

[craven morehead]

Our last dinner at the Grand Mecure Puka Park Resort went a little pear shaped but staff made a decent recovery I rang to book dinner for 7.30 and was advised they were very busy and could we do 8.00? No problem we're on holidays. We presented at the restaurant at 8.00 and they were indeed busy. We were asked if would wait briefly in the lounge while they got our table set. We had no issue with that and took a seat in the lounge as I could see they were run off their feet



We sat down and relaxed.


After 15 minutes I went up to the bar and asked for some drinks while we waited. The chap that served me apologised profusely and said the drinks were on the house always a good tactic!


At 9.00 we started to go back to the bar when the waiter saw us and started apologising and said they had forgotten about us. Even though the lounge is only 10 yards away it was the old out of sight out of mind trick The manager then come over and reiterated that they were at fault and all beverages tonight were free of charge. We ordered drinks and once we were actually seated mains were served within 10-15 minutes (we skipped the entrees) Once again we were close to the fire and by this time the place was nearly empty so it was nice and peaceful.



We both chose the Braised Lamb Shank tonight: Served with smashed pumpkin, greens peas & mint jus. Simple but nice.


Mrs.CM decided to go with the Mango Cheesecake for dessert while I had another glass of Shiraz


So all in all the staff made a good recovery and I gave them some positive feedback to reinforce this. We probably eneded up with ~$70 of free drinks but we weren't stressed and that was purely a bonus. Tomorrow we head back to Auckland.

 

[Cossie]

Great report, it’s certainly a nice place to visit. On my last trip there I got talking a guy that lived near Coromandel town, who told me he was a Moriori, originally from the Chatham Islands. He went to great pains to point out he wasn’t a Maori.
At one stage the Moriori were hunted as sport by the Maori that arrived in the Chatham Islands
Spent so long listening to his fascinating story, I missed photographing a lot of the rally cars going past.

Moriori - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[craven morehead]

Next morning we had a leisurely breakfast of bacon & poached eggs with some cold cuts followed by some and pastries and jam (I'm a bit rusty on TR's and forgot photos shame on me) After brekky I requested a midday check out which was granted. We returned to our chalet and packed. At the end of our very enjoyable stay here I did some quick calcs on the cost. After using 22k Accor points, getting upgraded, welcome cheese platter & wine in room, 50% discount on dinner and free breakfasts + free booze on last night. I was out of pocket AUD$450 for ~$1800 of real costs. Good result Once packing was finished, I went down and fetched the car and drove it up to the chalet to load the luggage. We then did a leisurely lap of Pauanui before saying goodbye to the Coromandels (The east coast was awesome) and heading back to Auckland. We would be staying with our cousins in St.Heliers again. Once again the predicted driving time of 2 hours was spot on. Not sure if I mentioned up thread but I would recommend this resort if you happen to be visiting this area and even more so if you're an Accor member.

 

[craven morehead]

Great report, it’s certainly a nice place to visit. On my last trip there I got talking a guy that lived near Coromandel town, who told me he was a Moriori, originally from the Chatham Islands. He went to great pains to point out he wasn’t a Maori.
At one stage the Moriori were hunted as sport by the Maori that arrived in the Chatham Islands
Spent so long listening to his fascinating story, I missed photographing a lot of the cars cars going past.

Moriori - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Cheers @Cossie, it's nice to be able to do a TR again. You are 100% right with NZ being a nice place to visit and I sometimes think we Aussies take it for granted because it's so close. I hadn't heard of the Moriori people before. Do you remember @Mattg did a story on Air Chathams on one of his Podcasts

 

[craven morehead]

Arrived safely back in St.Heliers mid-afternoon. We unpacked, had a coffee, caught up emails and then @ 6.00pm it was time to socialise again. This was a Thursday and the ritual was a few pints at the Cousins' local followed by steak night ( 30% off ) at La Vista. I'm starting to wonder whether they have a frequent diners program So off we go to the local drinking establishment which is affectionally called "The Pigeon" a small bar, licenced for only 24 punters. A really snug feel for obvious reason and a great atmosphere. It had been 5 years since our last visit







Our cousins' lad and when I say lad he is 35, has cerebal palsy and is reallly well accepted in the local community. So once a month the Pigeon employs him as a DJ So DJ Andy parks his wheelchair in the left hand side of the entrance and sets his laptop up and rocks some tunes. Totally awesome!



Then it was off to La Vista. We were borderline loclas by the time we left St.Heliers. The wife and I both had a Filet Mignon which was top class once again no complaints with the food on offer here.



Back home for a few more quiet and that was another fantastic day done and dusted.

 

[craven morehead]

Today was Friday our last full day in NZ on this short but wonderful trip. As mentioned up thread, I had the privilege of catching up with @Mattg for a great chat over a long Brunch at La Vista no less I basically dropped Matt back home and had to go and get ready for a late lunch with the Wife and Cousin at Giraffe down on the Auckland Viaduct Harbour. This restaurant had been recommended by fellow AFFers and didn't disappoint. Giraffe Restaurant
We caught an Uber in as there were no guarantees anyone of us could moderate our alcohol intake. Well it was the last day

So my wife is 6'0" and loves Giraffes for some reason





The staff actually brought the Giraffe outside so my wife could get a photo. Kudos to them



Inside the restaurant it wasn't particularly busy mid-afternoon on a Friday. However the Viaduct Harbour precinct itself was exceptionally busy as long lunches turned into early drinks.



Our friendly and engaging waitress was happy to pose for a snap



Looking over to our table where the girls were seated at the front. The clear blinds were down as the weather was dodgy.



Looking outside from our table. A little bit different to what we see down the street in our small CQ town.



The girls were well pleased with the setting and enjoyed some type of Kiwifruit coughtail each while waiting for lunch.



They both had the Fish & Chips: NZ Snapper, French Agria (fancy name for potatoes) with house tartare dressing. They both enjoyed their lunch.



I was Craven Duck today

Canterbury Duck: Duck Breast & Leg, Roast Carrots, Spiced Jus and Roast Potato. Washed down with a nice Pinot Noir. We will only need a toasted sanger or something similar for dinner after todays effort.



Along with other AFFers I am more than happy to recommend this place.

We proceeded just down further to Headquarters for a drink and a chat while we waited for Cousin's hubby to finish work. This place was really rocking for a Friday arvo.

HQ | Eat & Drink | Viaduct Harbour

Open til the wee hours of the morning, Headquarters is your hub for great food, drinks and music.

www.viaduct.co.nz

 

[Mattg]

I think you sat at the same table as @JessicaTam and me at Giraffe!

 

[craven morehead]

I think you sat at the same table as @JessicaTam and me at Giraffe!

Haha that's awesome! They must have us AFFers profiled on their database

 

[ric_melb]

Enjoying this trip report which has given me a few smiles. Food photos are particularly good. Thanks for posting.

 

[craven morehead]

Last day in NZ started with a family breakfast at, you guessed it ..... La Vista! I was almost on a first name basis with the Russian owner by this time. I decided to try something different and went for the Huevos Rancheros with meatballs options.





It was very very filling and I certainly enjoyed it. In hindsight, I probably wouldn't mind having it for dinner. I'm sure it would go with
The owner of La Vista was devastated to find out I was leaving town After a lovely breakfast it was time for a little shopping along the waterfront. This was right up the Wife's alley she could shop and win gold in the Olympics!

Whilst shopping I picked up one of these Mini Wallets recommended by Cousins hubby who is CFO of a large NZ company. I had been considering purchasing one for quite some time but had never really made the effort. Being a points pig I basically only ever carry cards so this should suit me perfectly.

Miniwallet Vintage Black

Our Vintage leather has a carefully abraded surface and a wax finish that gives a stonewashed look.

secrid.com

Pleasing to see something that wasn't made in China for a change.



Now after noblely supporting the local economy of St.Heliers it was time to head back to the Cousins place and pack ready for our trip back to BNE

 

[craven morehead]

Said our farewells to the family and set out for AKL airport. Cruisy drive back on a Saturday afternoon. Dropped the trusty Corolla Hybrid back at Avis. Took some quick photos to reconcile with the ones I took at start of the trip. No obvious damage. There was no attendant as such in the returns carpark and the signage regarding dropping keys off was lacking so I took the keys back into the Avis counter at the Arrrivals hall. We were very happy with the Corolla Hybrid from a comfort, performance and fuel efficiency point of view. I couldn't see the need for anything bigger on this occasion even though I was half expecting a one class upgrade from PC+ still, no complaints and I would book the same car again.



Super quick check-in and headed off to International Departures. It felt good just to say International Departures Airport was still very quiet.



Slightly slow getting through security as there were a few numbskulls that didn't heed the signs. Once through we headed off to experience the Air New Zealand Lounge for the first time.



The lady at the entrance was very pleasant and didn't look down on us filthy Qantas mob one bit.



I reckon the lounge was 10% full.



The beverage offerings were quite decent however I thought the food selection was pretty average for an International Flagship Lounge. I would rate the SLOW Lounge at JNB Domestic as good or better.









Sandwiches were fairly bland.



Lounge TBC:

 

[craven morehead]

AKL Lounge continued: Some more food options.





Great view as you would expect from a National carriers lounge.





The QF Bird we would be boarding shortly.



I noticed while we were waiting both a China Southern and an Olympus Airways plane land. Not sure if they were carrying Pax or Freight.

 

[Matt_01]

They must have us AFFers profiled on their database

You might be onto something, from memory I think the 2019 AFF NZ gathering organised by @JessicaTam was also at Giraffe. Also IMO those secrid mini wallets are a hany bit of kit, I picked up one up a few years ago in Hong Kong. I have enjoyed your report and cannot wait to travel again.

 

[VPS]

Very much enjoying the TR and now want one of those little wallets - when will I get to NZ again I wonder?