Firth Things

Dec. 7

I awoke in my lovely room, made my plunger coffee, said good bye to that wonderful spa tub and drove to the free city park to look at mud holes, steam vents and boiling sulphur. There is a ton to do in this area and you could easily spend 2-4 days here and lots of money. But I am more eager to get to other parts of NZ so I am going for the freebie in the park. The park has fenced off an impressive amount of vents and bubbling holes where you can walk safely and see the thermal activity. It amazes me most to see what actually grows around these vents and in this hot, harsh soil; quite a bit of vegetation. I enjoy a little tour and then get on my way to Thames, the gateway to the Coromandel peninsula where I have decided to spend my last four days in NZ.

My drive up is very pretty. I am chased the whole way by a range of mountains on my right side. I eye it warily for several hours wondering if I will have to cross it. But it stays to my side – God bless it! This is my first non-mountain driving day in NZ.  The North Island has been quite different from the South Island just as everyone said it would be. Not nearly as mountainous and even the mountains don’t seem so rugged. Gently rolling hills more like Appalachian foothills than Midwestern hills dot the countryside. And areas of bizarre hills jut out of flat plains that must be some sort of geological phenomenon. Lots of flat farmland for the cattle and sheep industry is evident also. More people, better roads, a little more civilized I guess, is what it seems to me after two days. So, if you like wild and untamed, start north, head south in New Zealand and you’ll slowly get your wish.

I am aiming for the Firth of Thames. What, you ask is a firth, because I sure had to ask. It is the mouth of a river. And the Thames is a big, old muddy river named by Captain Cook because it reminded him of the one in England. And I’m staying in a cottage overlooking the Firth of Thames. It’s an area sort of like Green Bay in Wisconsin but, on a smaller scale. The Coromandel Peninsula is like Door County and the Firth of Thames is like Green Bay. Thames grew during the gold rush of the late 1800’s and still has wooden buildings on the main street from those days. I drive into the hills above the river as I arrive in town and see quite a few cute old homes mixed in with the new. I see some wooden cottages perched on a hill and figure that is my destination. I drive up a cobbled drive to Grafton (I’m home!) Cottages and go inside and find Leon who I talked to on the phone. He is an Aussie, hippie type partnered to a Kiwi and they just bought the place with their friends several months ago. He is really welcoming and trying really hard. He invites me to go with them to Hot Water beach in two days. Maybe I will!. I had negotiated a lower price on the phone with him as I am a single and it’s mid-week and I’m staying 4 days. He shows me down some winding wood stairs, past a hot tub and another cottage and into mine. It is really cute with a cathedral ceiling, deck and gorgeous views out over the valley and the Thames in the distance. They provide a continental breakfast in my room, a bottle of wine because I’m staying more than3 nights and complimentary homemade cookies. When I came back from dinner I found a plate of fresh strawberries and Kiwis and locally made after dinner liqueur for on my deck. I sit back with my Kindle and pour myself a glass of the NZ Cathedral Cove (a famous place on the peninsula) sauvignon blanc and sip and eat fresh fruit while reading in the early evening sun. Later, after the setting sun has put on a magical show for me, an eyelash moon rises over the Firth and the last remnants of the purple clouds below. I salute the scene with my iced liqueur and drift off to sleep.