Al inicio pense que me costaría acostumbrarme a dormir en la VAN, pero todo lo contrario... no extraño para nada el tener una casa donde vivir, sino mas bien me encanta la idea de poder mover nuestra casa hacia donde se nos plazca y ahí instalarnos los días que creamos convenientes... una vez ya recorrido y conocido el lugar, volvemos a mirar el mapa para ver cuál será nuestro próximo destino.
And that is when that moment comes, take the map and figure out where to go. Studying maps is fascinating, the quickest vs the most interesting route, the beach vs the mountain, where to sleep, where to buy. Some place names just ask for a visit. But there is also some sort of anxiety, a big sheet of paper with a lot of names and lines but no content no meaning, that only comes with riving the roads, experiencing the distances, feel the daily rhytm of the places you drive through, get a sense of the geography and thats when the maps start making more and more sense. Time to hit the road though, to Coromandel, a peninsula 2 hours away from Auckland, with the southern more accesible part being the summer refuge for the Auckland jet set, while the north (also known as the far north) has some very empty, clean, beautiful beaches and remote camp sites right on the beach. Time to test our spaceship, Mazda MVP, 4 WD, 2001, 180000kms, bed in the back and luckily just enough space for that bit of clothes, food, kayak, wetsuit, camping chairs, spear, tent, peddles. I was sure we could fit a new fishing rod but that was according to Belen "not in the budget".
Salimos de Auclkand hacia Coromandel (Península en el noreste de Auckland) el camino maravilloso... hacia el lado derecho montañas y colinas verdes... hacia la izquierda bordeabamos el océano pacífico ... con colores verdes, celestes, turqueza... pequeñas playas que parecían piscinas. Llegamos a nuestro primer destino Camping TAPU CAMP. Nos instalamos entre medio de todas las Camper Van que habían instaladas y fuimos a dar un paseo por la orilla y disfrutar del atardecer.
Port Jackson, one of the first places on this trip but one of the places I will remember, camping on the beach in a DOC (Department of Conservation) camp site including very basic but clean facilities, 5 km of sandy beach, an 200 degree ocean view, cows in the backyard, a protected dorotel nesting and protecting its territory in the frontyard, a firepit and sunshine. Beautiful relaxing days, including a coastal walk in between bays. Belen is definitely getting the hang of the hiking, almmost ready for the southern alps. Unfortunately, the wind turned from a see breeze to nearly hurricane force airflow picking up sand and barely letting us walk so we decided to try the east coast.
Al edia siguiente salimos hacia nuestro próximo destino, Playa Port Jackson ... preciosa! Decidimos hacer una caminata... Coromandel Coastal walk way, al inicio me habian dicho que eran 10km ida y vuelta, pero conversando con uno de nuestros vecinos en el camping, me enteré que eran 11km de ida, y luego 11 km de regreso, casi me da ataque!! Nunca en mi vida había caminado tanto en un sólo día, pero bueno..ya estabamos ahí... teniamos que hacerlo jaja ... Valió la pena la caminata, paisajes preciosos, las playas por las que pasabamos una más linda que la otra.
East coast, less wind, small east facing bays and beaches, clear and calm water.....spearfishing time. After the Red Moki in the first round this time a Parore and another Red Moki. Fishing in NZ is beautiful, plenty of fish but good conservation work being done. No licences or permits are required but size limits and bag limits are in place, as well as local restrictions to preserve certain species. As a beginner in NZ I have to be well aware which fishes to catch to abide the rules if not, as I read, 3 years of imprisonment, 250000NZD fines and confiscate all the gear including car could apply. Not sure if I should worry more about sharks or accidentally catching an undersized fish. Nevertheless, great job in fishery regulation (and wildlife conservation in general) in NZ.
About wildlife conservation, NZ used to be a bird's paradise without natural predators resulting in an incredible variety of "weird" birds many flightless. The end of the paradise came with the Maoris and their dogs and to a greater extent the Cooks and Tasmans with their rats, weasels, stoots, etc.. Some birds have extinct, the Moas, and some have drastically reduced their numbers, Kiwis. Now an interesting fact, to increase the numbers of these endemic birds, islands and fenced off peninsulas are made pest free, free of rats, weasels, dogs, then these species are introduced and monitored in an environment very similar to what it once was around 1200 AD. A very odd related fact is that some of the numbers had decreased that drastically that very few genetic material was left, so the breeding programmes have resulted in things like albino kiwis....Cleaning up man's mess and even unintended interventions are difficult and take time.
Los siguientes dias en Coromandel, los dedicamos a seguir recorriendo playas, Johan fascinado pescando con el arpon y sacando erizos... primera vez que probe un erizo recien sacado del mar, abriamos la concha y directo a la boca... me encanto!
Otra divertida experiencia fue ir a los Hot Water Beach... llegamos tempranito para agarrar terreno y testear donde debiamos hacer el hoyo de donde obtuviesemos agua caliente, era como estar en un jacuzzi con agua caliente en la orilla del mar, claro que nos demoramos como 2 hrs en hacer el hoyito y armar los muros resistentes al mar que venia constantemente y nos derumbaba todo, pero teniamos todo el dia si queriamos, asi que con las mismas volviamos a cavar hasta conseguir un pozo en donde quepamos ambos... y a disfrutar de un bano caliente en la orilla del mar.... lindo lugar Coromandel, caminatas, playas, pesca, pescados a la parrilla... erizos frescos, siestas en la playa, atardeceres frente al lago... que mas se puede pedir!
I don't want to get ahead as we still have to get to the geothermal capital of NZ but sitting in a pool, dug by our own bare hands on a beach of about 45 degree sea water was definitely a special experience. NZ beaches are magnificent and different, remote and untouched but still good basic infrastructure, beatiful marine fauna, white, black, brown, sand, stone or shell, a source of food and a place to relax. No wonder Maoris have such a close link with their seas.
Lindas fotos!
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Willy