Nicks Big Adventure

Well, Well, Well. I really need to start proofreading what I write. I sound like a small child. I will try to do better here. I continued my adventure up the East coast of the Coromandel till I got to Whangapoa. At this time I had to drive east and a bit north to get to a secluded white sand beach. The community is small and seems like only a weekend home type o place. Somewhat like Baffin bay, People live their but there are not too many full-timers. I hiked over some bush and arrived at a beach almost alone. It was a great spot to hang out but the sun was burning my white skin and I could not find any place to camp for the night. I got back on my horse (van) and drove to the very tip of the peninsula to Port Jackson. This is a bare bones DOC campsite. I had to race down a gravel road to beat a storm that was blowing in from the North. It was a fun drive and I made it there an hour before the bad stuff hit hard. There was a small beach which I ventured into the water and then rinsed off in the rain. I skipped breakfast the next morning and drive into coromandel town being chased by rain this time. At least this drive back I could take my time and enjoy the scene. Green ocean and cliffs on a 27 Km gravel road. It was fun. I had a great lunch of fresh mussels from the folks who farm them and I bought some chowder for supper. That night I stayed in Thames and had a blast playing pool with the locals. The next day was splore!!! I did some laundry and walked around the little town till it was time for me to drive to the venue. To say there was some disorganization is an understatement. After an hour or so I found my lovely volunteer coordinator, Poppy, and went right to work helping in the kitchen. In the end I got a great supper but had to do the dishes for about 2 hours with nothing but 2 tubs and water from a kettle. My shift officially started the next morning at 7 am. Luckily I was in charge of my own campsite area so I sat in a chair and talked with friends. Many of the people that I met and hung out with at Kiwi Burn were also working at splore so the social scene was epic. After 4 days of people and music I needed a change of scene. I left sunday late and monday morning I went back to the Coromandel for a hike up a valley I really wanted to do. Monday I did day hikes to different Old logging camps and dams. This one valley had been logged in the 20's for its Kauri trees. They are large native trees and were perfect for the logging industry. I don't like what they did but they were efficient in taking the trees out. Since there were no roads and the area was too steep for trains or oxen. Their solution was to roll the 7 meter diameter logs into the lower valley floors and creeks. Build dams that could release the built up energy of flood rains to push the logs to the ocean. This devastated the natural environment but got the wood to the mills. Tuesday I hiked up to The Pinnacles. It's a volcanic outcropping of rocks that built up under a volcano. When the volcano went extinct and eroded awat it left these great rocks in the sky. It was a tough but worthwhile hike. That night I stayed in one of the nicest DOC huts with 4 other people. Then next morning I hiked back with the girls in the rain. We cover the track 40% faster than predicted. I treated my self to a hot mineral spring soak and now I am off to Auckland for the weekend for fun and excitement!! NASCAR starts soon so start your engines. Also rugby is getting kicked off so I will be doing a lot of that. On another note if anyone wants to play along at home... start reading the Game of thrones book series I have started and mean to finish it this year. Pura Vida