North Island Tour with Cait: Part 2

We stayed an extra night in Coromandel after we found an idyllic place to camp by the Tairua river.

The cliffs above the river were amazing

We were the only ones in the whole campground and settled in the best site, right by the water, complete with a picnic table!

A little campfire to keep us warm

There used to be a lot of mining in the area, so our hike the next day took us along the river and then up into the hills through a few old mining tunnels.

In front of one of the hobbit-sized tunnels


The view from a high point on the trail, looking down on the river

On the trail.
They had blasted through the rock to keep the trail flat for rock carts, hence the smooth parallel rock faces, which have now been totally colonized by myriad velvety mosses and ferns.

Just off the trail, we discovered a waterfall pouring ice cold mountain water into a clear pool. The weather was a little chilly, but feeling warm from the walk, we decided to take a dip. Brrrrr!