After the requisite stop at the Whitianga I-Site and armed with our trusty map friendly local travel suggestions, we drove around the north Coromandel Peninsula and went on 4 small hikes.
Hike 1: Rings Beach at the start of our hike...
...and from the lookout above the beach
Pohutukawa tree, known as the NZ Christmas tree because it blooms red in December
Scenic lookout from a pullout at the peak of the northern crossing of the Coromandel
Hike 2: Taumatawahine walk known as a ponga bush walk
Flowers along the way
Hike 3: Tokatea Lookout
This site was used for marine surveillance during WWII
Kennedy Bay lookout
Hike 4: Papa Aroha walk which goes through coastal forest...
...and ends at the beach
Life is good!!!
Waitaia bush walk
I can't get over the pristine ferns--incredible colors and feathery textures
Fern varieties I've never seen before
Cliffs above the bay
Maramaratotoara Bay
Me with our our favorite NZ ice cream, Tip Top!
And the next day, 3 more hikes: One on the lovely beach in Whitianga (no pics). The second had these views:
I can't get over the pristine ferns--incredible colors and feathery textures
and for the third, we had to take a 10 minute ferry across Whitiangi Bay from the wharf near downtown to see:
Whitiangi Bay
We ended with a well-deserved ice cream break.
What an amazing trip. You both have to be in incredible shape to do all that you have done. What a pleasure to read.
ReplyDeleteTip Top is the best! You certainly deserved that ice cream after such rigorous hiking. Well done! A picture really is a thousand words and you have captured the exquisite scenery so beautifully. We admire your stamina. The infinite variety of ferns is really amazing eh?
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