Thames - Coromandel Peninsula - Coromandel Town - 203kms - 10 days

From Thames we enjoyed the beautiful coastline along to Tapu Bay – kids all enjoyed a swim in the salty sea for the first time since Motueka. We were all excited about the beach campsites that were now going to become the norm.

The roads were quiet and traffic very considerate as we climbed through the un-relenting hills away from the flat lands of the Hauraki plains. The heat slowed our pace more, however every time we dropped down to the waters edge it wasn’t hard to cool off with a dip. The hills of the Coromandel definitely had a reputation, so once again we warned the kids of some tough days ahead with plenty of climbing straight up from sea level.

From Tapu Bay the hills grew in size the closer we got to Coromandel Township. We took our time to slowly conquer them, with Mahe and Jazz often coming back down to help push everyone up. The quiet little township of Coromandel has charm and super friendly locals. We enjoyed this so much we stayed three days out at the Long Bay Motor Camp, Stef had spent time here as a child so was certainly bringing back lots of great memories. We enjoyed the Kauri bush walk which took us to a 1200 year old kauri – an incredible size. The kids learnt about the tragic Kauri dieback which is a disease caused by a microscopic fungus like organism. It lives in the soil and infects the roots which eventually kills the Kauri trees. It is often carried by walkers on their footwear so any bush walks in this particular area have cleaning stations where you scrub your footwear and spray a disinfectant to stop the spread. Unfortunately a lot of the bush walks are closed in order to save the Kauri trees.

The local residents of the motor camp were very kind offering beer, food and even a day out fishing, thanks to Mahe. Mahe happened to be chatting to a local camper asking "what's his biggest fish ever caught", so out came the camera showing the kids some massive snapper shots. Next thing he was asking the kids if they'd like to go out the next day! The kids eyes lit up, finally the chance to catch a snapper was soon becoming real.

Mahe had been determined to catch a snapper and had been attempting to off the rocks near the camp but had no luck, so a day out on a boat almost guaranteed a snapper! But it was Jazz who enjoyed pulling in the first few good-sized snapper showing the boys how it was done. Soon enough everyone had pulled one in, it was quite different to the sea fishing we had done in Preservation Inlet – a lot of patience was needed up here. It took 5 hours to catch 6 sizeable fish! But after 3 months fishing in Fiordland catching Blue Cod we were all looking forward to catching and eating snapper! Luckily the Shag Snack - a 'fish n chip' caravan made delicious hot chips - so dinner was sorted! Kids all agreed Blue Cod was hard to beat, even though we all enjoyed the snapper!

It was time to leave the camp and head north around the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, we had planned 8 days from Coromandel Township up to Fletchers Bay and around to Stony Bay then back to the town. It was going to be a tough adventure as we needed to carry food for the whole 8 days from the town plus there was a tough 10kms of a walking track to conquer. The kids thrive on these sorts of adventures and love it when it’s a good challenge so we were all excited!

We load all our gear outside Four Square – we are a quite a sight as a weeks’ worth of food is spread out on the ground in front of us trying to find a place for it amongst panniers, buggies and drybags. Locals are intrigued and we spend a bit of time chatting to them about our adventures. Handing out more Braaksma Adventures and support Te Anau cards.

Now fully loaded we head north towards Amodeo Bay – beautiful big old Pohutakawa Groves line the roads and we enjoy sea views for miles. It is a sealed road all the way to Colville so there are a few vehicles but every one gives us plenty of room, often stopping to give us encouragement and ask how old Charlie is?! They are in disbelief when they hear his age!

Anglers Lodge at Amodeo Bay is just beautiful – we spend the afternoon swimming at the pool and actually get some schoolwork done under the shade near the pool, the ultimate classroom!

We end up meeting a couple who used to live in Te Anau a few years back, they kindly offer us a place to stay at Cooks Beach in a few weeks’ time. It seems this place is the Te Anau catch up. Even the mangers know Noel and Sue Walker from Te Anau, love that New Zealand is so small.

That night the blood moon eclipse comes out briefly before light cloud rolls in. Charlie only has to wait another 800 years before he’ll see it again.

Fare-welling the ex pat Te Anau clan we climb steadily over the hills towards Colville. It's always a lot easier when the hills are first thing in the morning with our fresh legs and lower temperatures. It seems this is where the roads either go straight up or straight down, there is very little flat ground around this part of the Coromandel!

Colville is our last little stop to grab some food. There are some cute little village shops nestled in a small little dwelling of houses. We explore around the couple of little craft shops and purchase wee gifts for friends and of course some treats from the grocery shop. On from Colville we leave the sealed roads and hit the gravel, this does mean less traffic. We cycle along close to the shore of yet again beautiful beaches and giant Pohutakawa trees, with most of them already in flower. The colour of the water is a beautiful turquoise blue which is ever so inviting.

Fantail Bay is a small little DoC camp right across the road from the sheltered little stony beach. Being a Saturday it's full of campers, making the most of being able to travel and holidaying before the Aucklanders are released. The rocks are full of surfcasters, the sea with a dozen or so kayakers fishing and plenty of swimmers enjoying the beautiful water. We enjoy a swim and some gifted snapper from a friendly house bus.

Straight out of Fantail Bay the road climbs yet again straight up. While we top up all our spare water bottles from the nearby creek, the kids have taken off and are powering up the hills totally leaving us behind. Once again Mahe has hit the top first and runs back down bare chested to help us out! Soon enough Charlie and Jazz are running back down too and offering a push. Charlie of course also bare chested! Their Escape Adventure bike tops tucked in their shorts. The views are absolutely spectacular, Little Great Barrier Island to the North, Great Barrier Island to the North East and Auckland to the West. The beautiful coast line shaping Port Jackson and the Northern points of the Coromandel Peninsula. We take a wee moment to congratulate ourselves for coming this far, if we can't access Auckland / Cape Reinga then changing it to Bluff to Port Jackson is a pretty awesome achievement!

We roll down the steep hill into Jackson Bay to enjoy lunch on the beach and try to escape the hot sun. The DoC campsite at Port Jackson is just stunning, right on the beach with quirky picnic tables with various games, snakes and ladders, backgammon and noughts and crosses. We all enjoy a few games while munching on lunch and enjoying the shade under the Pohutakawa trees.

The traffic reduces to only a few as we peddle the last few kilometres to Fletchers Bay. Once we climb back up out of Jackson's Bay we sidle the clifftops along to the lookout over Fletchers Bay. The views are just amazing and is an incredible part of the Coromandel to cycle. We come around the corner and notice the kids have stopped down below in front of large gates. We had been told the Fletcher Bay DoC campsite was closed but thought we would still be able to access some land with a toilet somewhere close by. We decide to leave the bikes at the gates and scramble down the bank to the beach to check it out. After a friendly chat with a contractor who is working on the DoC site we soon head back up and take the gate off the hinges and head down to set up camp! He was more than happy for us to camp as long as we were out of the way. Whew! We certainly didn't want to turn back and re trace our steps.

Our other issue now is that the Coromandel Coastal Walkway is also closed, we are not sure why and figured we should give it a go, this is the end of the gravel road so the only way for us to get across is by using the walkway. The kids are all up for an adventure and are prepared to turn back if its not possible. Adrian heads off on the track in the afternoon to check it out, on returning he says "we'll have to psych the kids up for this one". He manages to check out two thirds of the tracks and reckons its doable but it's going to be a tough day. He is still unsure why the track is closed?!

We head off early the next morning from Fletchers Bay after preparing the kids for what's possibly going to be the 'toughest day yet'. After sighting the buggy and the trailer the farmer kindly gives us permission to take the farm track to start with instead of the narrow steep walking track.

But still the steep farm tracks have us down to a slow pace with a fair bit of pushing before we yet again gain the vantage point of great expansive views. We all work together to bring the bikes to the top, it is tough going but so much easier when everyone pitches in although Mahe is having a tough start to the day, so we have a wee chit chat about 'digging deep' on these days as it's going to get harder. He soon gains his mental and physical strength back. The heat is certainly building and we are thankful to enter the bush section of the track to gain some shade.

Now with plenty of elevation the track drops steeply down into Poley bay. The ride is challenging with large tree roots dotted over the track, we walk quite a few sections, before coming down beside the beach with only a steep track to get ourselves out.

This is where the most challenging section begins. We derig gear off the bikes and carry it up the hill before returning to push the bikes up. Its hard work and the kids do well to slog it out in the heat of the day. They all pitch together to get their bikes up while we work together to get both our bikes and trailers up. Four trips later we are again at the top of another hill to a fabulous view point.

Luckily from now on the track traverses on the same elevation around the hill sides before it drops down to Stony Bay. Finally we are able to ride our bikes again. We’re grateful for the flatter section of track and start to enjoy this amazing ride as it skirts along the side of the hill with views in all directions and a rocky sea shore far below.

Rounding the last corners we encounter a massive slip. We soon realise this is why the track is closed. But it is a reasonably well worn track so we derig our gear once again and carry, lift and push all contents so they are on the other side. It is vigorous work lifting our heavy gear over the fallen trees and uneven terrain, but again the kids enjoy the challenge and get stuck in. There is yet another slip just a few hundred metres later, seasoned pro's now, the kids just start the process all over again and hope this is the last time we have to derig the gear.

As we pop out at Stony Bay the kids agree that this is the hardest track we’ve done in the North Island, and next time they'll do this track they'll do it without gear on their bikes! It was a massive 8 hours to complete just11kms! The kids also suggest that it might just be harder than Omarama Saddle, which has been our bench mark for tough days.

Down at Stony Bay we enjoy a quiet night on the beach, camped under a giant Pohutakawa tree. The kids are quick to take off along the beach exploring. Mahe is excited to come back with a fishing rod and reel. He's stoked and the kids use it to practice their fishing. One child will run out the line pretending to be a Marlin while the other heaves on the fishing rod trying to pull it in.

Its fun to watch and has us giggling for a while. We wonder where they get all their energy from!

We’d like to stay longer, however the food supply allowance is running low. We head for Waikawau Bay. This requires the granny gear to get up and out of the bay and a fair bit of sweat. It is hot and muggy but we slowly tick the hills and bays off, swimming where we can. Just after lunch the rain sets in and the roads turn to sludge. Its slow going and the bikes start grinding under the muddy conditions. The hill climb is definitely a bit easier now the heat has eased off but the downhill is painful as the rain really sets in. As we enter the camp ground we search for a shelter, however all we can find is a set of trees that allow a little shelter from the rain. The kids are cold, wet and tired from the last few days riding. we certainly are thankful we still kept a few thermals and warm hats as they are now needed even in the Coromandel. It’s a quick tent set up, warm dry clothes on with wet rain jackets, and hot soup in the rain. Just on dusk the rain relents, but we are too exhausted to explore so we all enjoy an early night.

The next day everyone's slow to get out of bed, it doesn't help that the rain has started once again. The hard days of riding the Coromandel Peninsular have taken their toll. We do a quick food inventory and decide we can make a rest day work. Mahe spends most of the day in bed recovering with a high temperature. The suns eventually comes out and we turn our section of the campsite into a chinese laundry drying gear from yesterdays wet trip.

The food is low and its down to mash potato and dehydrated meals. Jazz and Charlie enjoy the 2km long sandy beach, while the rest of us take time off the bike to relax.

Semi recovered with 800m of elevation and 33km of biking to the nearest food shop we push off. Pies and ice creams certainly get everyone motivated again. Along the coast and hills through to Kennedy Bay before the monstrous Kennedy Bay hill. It’s a steep one, and it goes on and on, we encounter the road workers who just think we are a little crazy even attempting to cycle up this hill. At times we can't even peddle because of the gradient. Although Jazz and Mahe power up, while Stef and I encourage Charlie who’s still feeling it from the last few days. Granny gear gets a good work out on this hill. We let out screams of relief at the top. It’s a huge reward to see Coromandel township 400m below. Ten minutes later we’re in the outskirts. The kids enjoy playing with the friendly goats by the Driving Creek Railway and we all have a good laugh as they are trying to feed / tease them across the fence!

We roll into the town and head straight to Four Square for pies and ice creams!

Just before we left for the adventure around the peninsula, the kids had sparked up a friendly chat with Mark a local from Long Bay. He had offered the kids a place to stay when we came back with hot showers, beds, washing machines and home comforts of a house! So thanks to Mark we rolled through town and out to his beautiful house. The kids were so excited they couldn’t wait. Fresh sheets, beds rather than flat thermarests, hot showers, and the comforts of a house, bliss after a tough 8 days.

Mark served us up burgers and we felt like this would be a hard place to leave.

We enjoyed Marks hospitality and stories of his trip walking the Te Araroa twice. The kids had plenty to chat about in common about walking or cycling the length of New Zealand. We enjoyed the comforts and days off the bike which everyone needed. We even had another day out fishing with Martin at Long Bay. The kids pulling in a few Snapper and Trevally for dinner.

While in Coromandel Town we meet up with Lori and Russell Chestnutt, old family friends from when Stef's family used to holiday here back in the 80's. They offered us to come and stay for a few nights. Russell and Lori run a fishing charter business and offer us a ride across to Leigh, (a small wharf just North of Auckland) which would save us trying to cycle through the crazy Auckland traffic just after lockdown. It was an offer that was pretty hard to refuse so we organise a date close to when Auckland was set to release.

So now we've got 10 days till we are able to access Auckland, this gives us more time to explore the Coromandel. We decide to head across to Whitianga and explore the beautiful beaches over there, feeling very fortunate to be in the Coromandel with very little crowds.