Coromandel is great

We left Paihia fairly early on New Years day and at last the sun has come out and seems to be staying out! We had a fairly long drive south through Auckland and then north again up the Coromandel peninsular which is absolutely stunning.
The drive up the western side of the peninsular was very slow but quite beautiful. Literally hundreds of cormorants resting on just about every rock so there cannot be any shortage of fish in this area! Being the absolute height of the season, Coromandel town was very busy and to start with we were concerned about finding anywhere to stay. However, after taking down some numbers from the I-site (tourist centre) we spoke to one lady who was fully booked but she referred us to a friend who luckily had just had a cancellation. This turned out to be a fantastic piece of luck and the B&B had a terrific location overlooking Te Kouma bay about 3 miles outside Coromandel town. Wonderful views and just great for swimming.
Unfortunately she was fully booked after that so we left fairly early and called in at the i-Site where we secured a nights accommodation in a very nice apartment really near the centre of town. Having deposited our cases etc we headed of first for the annual Keltic Fair which was being held in town. Very, very busy but we soon wanted to head off for yet more scenery. We drove across to the east coast with some stunning views as we reached the top of the pass and then dropped down into the coastal resorts of Whitianga, Cathederal Cove, Hahei and Hot Water beach. Some of the most beautiful beaches and seaside scenery we have ever come across.
Coming back we took a short cut recommended by the lady navigator but the traffic coming in the other direction was very heavy almost certainly leaving the Keltic fair and the road was very narrow, extremely windy and largely surfaced. Lots of bridges etc were one way and we had to give way so it was a fairly tortuous hours drive. Having reached the western side close to Cormandel town we discovered that the only other road had been closed due to an accident so no wonder our route was so busy. The lady navigator was forgiven.