We left Rotorua this morning and continued north to our new destination of Whitianga. We surprised ourselves by leaving at 8.45am and getting to Matamata far too early for coffee - which is what we had planned! Matamata is apparently the place where the set for Hobbiton is situated for those of you into Tolkien! The information place seemed to have assumed the guise of the Hobbit's home and looked totally incongruous in the main street but I expect it was interesting for those who have seen the film!

Anyway we shunned coffee at this point and went on to Te Aroha - a little town with a beautiful park. We had visited this place last time we were here and knew it had a lovely outdoor swimming pool. We had coffee at a nearby cafe and then armed with our swimming cossies we went for a swim and soak in the jacuzzi! My back is still not great today but felt a lot better after all this! We had lunch at the same cafe and then resumed our journey.

Outdoor pool in The Domain, Te Aroha

Our next stop was at Karangahake Gorge. This was another site of gold mining and the remains of this are still to be seen at the side of the river. We managed a walk over several swing bridges - the sort that move alarmingly as you walk over them, along the river and then down an old railway tunnel for 1km! The latter was partially lit and a little damp in places but added a new element to our walking in NZ!

One of the swing bridges over the Karangahake Gorge

I had been using my walking poles and on the last leg of the walk was surprised to notice that the ferrule and collar at the bottom of one pole was missing! I was sure they must have come off in the tunnel and was reconciled to replacing them at a future date when Steve suggested walking back a little way to see if we could find them. We had only gone 100m or so (along the path - not the tunnel) when I spotted them! Of course I can't walk more than a few paces without checking them now!

At the exit of the 1km tunnel

The last part of the journey, whilst not all that far, was extremely twisty and windy. It goes past hillsides covered in pampas grass and small pines. We have become used to the NZ version of the pampas grass which is slightly different and is called toitoi but today's pampas was not toitoi. Further research may be needed on this!

Whitianga is a beautiful spot on the Coromandel Peninsula. I guess it is more or less level with Auckland but on a peninsula to the east. It is a popular holiday place and there are lots of boats in the marina but it is very peaceful here in our studio room with a view of the sea. We are hoping to have breakfast on our balcony tomorrow!

Whitianga prom

Virtually the view from our room