Day 11 - Mon 22 Oct

Woke up to rain falling, as it had done most of the night. We didn't mind though since we were planning to spend much of the day driving from the Coromandel peninsula over to Waitomo ... and drive we did. We covered about 230 km, which doesn't sound much by Australian or US standards, but in the wet on these winding, narrow NZ roads, with many people returning from a long weekend away, it was pretty good going, and easily the furthest we've travelled in a day on this trip.

The rain clouds were also creating great atmospheric views as they sat around the tops of all the hills we were winding through and around. So there were regular stops for photos and another couple of films shot.

We stuck to the coast initially, passing from Hahei down through Tairua, Hikuai, Whangamata, and others, until we reached Waihi. At Tairua we stopped to post the postcards we had written the night before, and decided to grab a coffee. However, as we walked into the cafe we were assailed by sights and odors of bacon and eggs, so decided brunch was in order. Very nice food - stop by the Out of the Blue cafe if you're in the area.

Pine sunset

From Waihi we turned inland on SH 2, until we again turned South (on SH 26) at Paeroa. Passed Te Aroha, Tatuanui, Morrinsville and then into Hamilton, certainly the largest town in this part of NZ. After a couple of laps around Hamilton, we continued South on SH 3 past Te Awamutu (as mentioned in the Crowded House song "Mean to Me"), past Otorohanga, Hangatiki and finally to Waitomo, home of the famous glowworm caves.

Stopped in at the information bureau to plan and book the next day's adventures. Eventually managed to make some choices from the many options available, ranging from the sedate through to the extreme. Checked in to the holiday park, cooked dinner, and of necessity, did several loads of mid-trip washing. Spent a pleasant hour or two over dinner chatting with a nice Dutch couple.