Day 9 Whirlwind tour
in Coromandel Town
I did get some decent sleep the night before
and was up bright and early to make the only full day of Coromandel Town. The day was spectacular as there was very
little in the way of cloud cover and I was up around 730 in the morning ready
to walk into town and see the sights. I was off and one before my roommates
were even awake. My first port of call was to have breakfast and I found that
to be very satisfying, bacon and eggs with a coffee that would set me up for
some of the day. By the time I ate I was rearing to go and hit the road with
enthusiasm. The fuel cells had been filled and I was wanting to make my way to
the Driving Creek Railway, which was hand built. More on that later..
I was still taking photos of the landscape that was
Coromandel Town. It wasn’t much to see, but she is a pretty little town and I
think I was up and moving before many of the tourists thought to unlock their
car doors and take sleepy driving tours missing the unusual tourist attraction
to their destinations. I was following some of the history to Coromandel as I
was taking pictures of the older buildings in town on my way to the trainline.
I did find some sheep that I was calling wifi sheep for the internet as a joke,
because I was having so much trouble in Auckland with the internet as it kept
cutting me off. That is my reason and I’m sticking to it. I like saying I found
internet sheep that give us all internet signals. I was following my guide that
I had picked up once I had eventually found the information centre. I had to
pass most of the historic buildings on my way to the railway.
Some of the buildings I had walked past the day before
including the Masonic lodge. I don’t care what people think about them as they
were big deal in New Zealands past and you can find headstones all over the
country with their symbol somewhere. People can give you conspiracy theories
and all that, but I digress. I did find out that I was thinking the wrong thing
when I seen a rusty sign for Fir Lawn House. I thought it meant the house had
burnt and no entry. You couldn’t tell it was a historic house as the lawn was
over grown, but today I did see the house, but it looked like it was falling
apart and according to the guide fire damaged. The house was owned by a wealthy
man called Frederick Wooliams in 1874. The Masonic house was built in 1898,
which is Lodge 17 of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. I am only going to list
some of the locations not all as my fingers would be tired. St Andrews
Presbyterian Church was built in 1873 and the first one in the area of that
denomination. I was fascinated by the former Coromandel Hospital as t was such
a large building. It had been built in 1898 and closed in 1994, also for
several years from the beginning staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. Outside of
James Homestead I was nearly hit by a kid on a pushbike while I was looking in
the guide and about to take a photo. All I was doing was standing in the one
spot and I think I taught the kid a new word when he missed me my millimeters.
I was angry at the kid for a couple of minutes before I let that go while
wandering. The James Homestead had been built in the 1890s. Another thing I
found was a drinking trough, which marked the site of the Tramways Hotel during
the 1870s.
I found the pottery and trainline after I wandered up the
Driving Creek Road. By this time I had walked pretty far and there would be
plenty more walking in my day, but this wouldn’t be walking. I would be taking
the train up the hill that was privately owned and had been worked on since the
1970s. The train would take you to a lookout that was called the Eyefull tower,
which I later found I couldn’t walk to anymore from the bottom. The main
function was to get the clay for the pottery stuff and was still being made
today from the hills. I think its the only narrow gauge line in New Zealand and
the lines were bought off the government, but now have to come from South
Korea. The train takes you on a magical tour and is wonderful as you can see
tunnels and sculptures made by potters who have visited. The Eyefull Tower does
command really good views of Coromandel Town and the water. We did find out the
owner had to open the line to the public through the bank orders as he had a
little money issue he needed to sort out. The Coromandel ranges had been
plentiful with Kauri and other trees in the 1800s, but logging and farming had
wiped it all out including the native animals. Now it had been replanted with
native plants, well the area owned by the pottery place. The only problem now is its got a pest problem
with possums and stoats, which is why there are no birdlife sounds. There are
down the bottom in an enclosed area, but that is it. It was a great train ride
especially when you find they make the trains as well and there were two trains
running at the same time. The driver had to change the tracks himself, which
shows the trans were not that big at all. Afterwards I decided to call into a
cafe that was just down the road from the Driving Creek Railway for lunch and
another coffee. I got free wifi too, which I took advantage of to see what was
happening online.
After lunch, I headed to the one place I was wanting o visit
and that was the Gold Stamper Battery. I knew you could get tours of the place
and I turned up within the time frame for them to begin. Sadly I was the only
one who was there and they were not going to do the tour with one person, but
if there were several more they would. I got a talk about the mine and the
mines in the area. I was surprised that the walk I had taken yesterday had man
mines located throughout the area and was riddled with tunnels. One of the
mines was where they dumped the waste into the sea, but half the gold went
there too, so the group is going to be looking there soon. Gold mining between
Australia and New Zealand began within a year or so of each other and the
locations for gold being found that are marked happen to be in the wrong
locations including at the Gold Stamper in Buffalo Road. I was told the storm
the week before had flushed the rivers and you could still find little bits of
gold and it was sill being found as there was something like 3 billion worth of
gold in the area to be dug up. I did try my hand at panning for gold and only
tried for near an hour before thinking I had seen too many rocks, though i
could have seen gold and I think I seen specks, I don’t know what to do with
it. I went down the hill wandering the cemetery though many others I have had
more enjoyment out of it though I think the day was slowly getting to me. I didn’t
find too much in the cemetery, but I didn’t mind it.
Off I went with the plan to head back into town and to the
caravan park to get my clothes washed as I thought I would need them done
before I left the next day. I wasn’t sure of what time I was getting the bus,
but thought I better get breakfast from the supermarket just in case I would
starve. I was following my map and seen a trail nearby called the Success
Track. I thought this was pretty cool to walk up the track that I could make
names out of Success and that was exactly what it was. I was going to join up
with another track instead of ending up in the Coromandel Ranges. That never
happened as I had some planning issues. I had missed the off shoot of the other
train and ended up unwittingly following the Kaipawa track that would take me
to Driving Creek Road near the railway. A 2 hour walk one way that I was taking
and had my ipod for company too. The track wasn’t all smooth sailing as I did
find several parts slippery especially with it going green and one part was
partly washed out. I did get spectacular views of the coast and also ducking
under fallen trees too. I found a strange sight, a tractor had been left up the
hill and plants had grown around it though not far away where I was huffing and
puffing I found a huge landslip that had taken the path away. This meant I had
to turn around and go down the hill. Something I didn’t want to do, but had no
choice. I kept on having small slips on the smooth clay, but as generally
alright. I knew I had only a limited amount of time before I would have very
little light left as it was late afternoon. I didn’t want to get stuck at night
on the hill with no idea of whats in front of me other than trees. I did make
it down though I was texting a friend back home telling them I was on the path
to success. Its a slippery slope when you are on the path to success and your
way may have obstacles and dead ends. I do like that one myself. I can be quite
random in my aimless wanderings and can sometimes be out of my depth and dont
even know it. I I had someone with me then I might not have made it as far as I
had and they would have told me to go back
I was happy once I
got to the bottom, but I had no water left either so I might not have gone near
the Ranges with its lack of birdcalls for a wander. I think it was well worth
the trek though and by this time it was nearly 6pm at night and I was getting
hungry. I stopped off for a sirloin steak for dinner as I wanted steak and had
a beer with my dinner. I was chatting to the server lady about my walk and the
landfall. She told me I should see the info centre, but she will anyway the
next day as she is a regular to that track. She said I could have been the
first one to walk it since the storms of last week. I did see some footprints
in the mud that looked fresh, but might not have been. It was pointed out that
there was another path and you would miss it if you were not looking. I had
missed it and found it on my way down the hill. Its alright as I have been
getting plenty of trekking done and I am not that healthy either.
The washing is done, I have been showered and wont be
leaving for Thames until 11am tomorrow. I will be stopping at Whitianga for a
little while for the next bus. I wonder if that will drop me off at the hostel?
I think I am very lucky I never booked the hostel for the usual full two days
as I think I would be hanging for one day and there are no ATMs for me to get
cash. Not everyone here takes a credit card. I want o stay in Whitianga next
time for several days just to do the touristy stuff like Cathedral Rock tour by
boat. I thought it was funny to be talking to a bloke who liked my marine
rescue hat, while waiting for the train. He was impressed I am a marine rescue
person in their 10th year of service. I am also alone in my room for
the night, woohoo no one else other than a cold bed that will be heated up anyway.
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