We were planning to stay at the Whitianga NZMCA, but the first night, along with other staff we were invited to stay at the bach owned by the Tyreline director's family. This is a superb piece of timer-themed modern architecture, isolated in a bay off the Coromandel Forest Park, near Black Jack Road.
We left the caravan at the NZMCA (which is new, dry and very spacious, conveniently only a few minutes walk from the pretty quayside town):
.... and drove up to beachside place, spending an enjoyable evening eating hand-made pizzas and talking nonsense.
The sheltered beach is beautiful white sand and excellent for fishing.But you know how paranoid I am about poison, and being aware of the poison spread in the previous bay - only about 5 kms in Otama Beach and also the 1080 in nearby Horseshoe Bay, it is every-present as a worry for my Dizzy on any beach.
....And as if to confirm my fears, there was a smelly goat carcass (or what was left of one) washed-up on the tide that morning.
Did those bones contain one of the lethal poisons that poor Dizzy only needs to lick to suffer an horrendous death from? Luckily, I saw it before she did and we stayed away... But THIS is why I am so against NZ using these inhumane poisons - especially from helicopters. There are so many risks from secondary poisonings - beyond belief that some people think this risk is some kind of acceptable 'collateral damage' in a delusional, uninformed ecological war against so-called 'pest species'. Horrific.
Anyway, we were soon on our way to pick up 'Stan-the-van' and get over to 'base' for the Leadfoot Festival - the bach at Cooks Beach. Just a stone's throw (via the funny little pedestrian-only ferry) from Whitianga harbour:
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| One of the many residential developments in Whitianga where new builds have their own moorings... |
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