NOT FAR FROM Auckland as the seagull flies, a little

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1 Read the signs (clockwise from left): macadamias this way; Cathedral Cove; crayfish at Pepper Tree Restaurant, Coromandel; on the road to the ranges, near Hikuai WORDS PAUL ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY HELEN BANKERS road food Take your appetite for a spin along New Zealand s Coromandel Peninsula gourmet food trail. NOT FAR FROM Auckland as the seagull flies, a little further by road, the Coromandel Peninsula is the right arm of the Hauraki Gulf. Getting its name from an 1820 visit by the HMS Coromandel, on the hunt for timber spars for the Royal Navy, the peninsula has some 400km of coastline and is divided down its spine by the majestic Coromandel Ranges. Long renowned for its bushwalking, white sandy beaches, boating pleasures and superb seafood and having some of the best weather in the country this region has a few other comestible surprises up its superbly scenic sleeve. From Auckland, a leisurely 90-minute drive on State Highway 25 through lush farmland and the occasional pine plantation takes you to the broad flat expanse of the Hauraki Plains. Then it s over the ramshackle single-lane Kopu Bridge across the wide brown expanse of the Waihou River to the base of the Coromandel Peninsula. Right where the peninsula joins the bulk of the North Island is the tiny farming hamlet of Matatoki and just outside town is Matatoki Farm Cheese. With a coffee and a tasting platter, relax in the bucolic surrounds and learn first-hand just how good these cheeses are. Traditionally handmade with organic ingredients fresh from the farm, the gouda, feta and sheep s milk cheeses prove particularly pleasing. Kelvin Haigh s passion and enthusiasm for what he does is evident when he talks about the joy of hand-stretching mozzarella. Back on the highway, a few minutes drive north lies the peninsula s biggest town, Thames. In the 19th century it was one of the country s largest, built on kauri logging and goldmining. Sleepier now, it s still a thriving service town for the local farming and tourist industries. On Pollen Street you ll find The Chocolate Shoppe, which stocks all manner of handmade cocoa indulgence. The building dates from the 1860s, when The Chocolate Shoppe s next-door neighbour was a lolly vendor. There is sweet tradition at work here. An ebullient Scotswoman has run the business for 10 years, brewing up her magical potions on a stove out the back. It s probably a good idea to select a few test samples to evaluate during the drive. If you need to readjust your nutritional balance after the chocolate invasion, a few doors up is The Organic Co-op stocking a good range of worthy foods, including vegetables, local honey and Fair Trade coffee. On the road again, the coastal route 54km north to Coromandel is irrepressibly beautiful, the bush-clad Coromandel Ranges looming on one side of the narrow, winding road; the Firth of Thames dropping away on the other. The brilliant red of pohutukawa trees clinging to the sea cliffs is a welcome respite for anyone overdosing on sea blue and forest green. A certain amount of concentration is required, however, as the road is rather close to the edge. Keep an eye out, also, for roadside stalls (usually operating on the honesty box system) that offer fresh, often organic fruit and/or veg. The shallow bays of the firth make for ideal oyster bed territory and a few kilometres before Coromandel you ll spot the Coromandel Oyster Company. This is one of the bigger outfits in the area and Anne Louden will happily equip you with some oyster travel packs. They also sell scallops, prawns, whitebait, fresh and marinated mussels and kina (sea urchin). It doesn t come much fresher than this. You can see some of the oyster beds behind the shop. Originally a goldmining and timber town, the laid-back village of Coromandel has transcended its more recent hippie past and is now home to an interesting mix of craft shops, galleries, cafes, a couple of good restaurants and a bountiful providore Teres of Coromandel. On the main street, Teres does a fine line in fresh fruit and vegetables some sourced locally, including delicious organic plums, delicatessen items, fresh-baked bread, cheeses and local produce such as honey, 56 QANTAS APRIL 2008

2 The Chocolate Shoppe, Thames The rugged Coromandel Ranges are ever-present Traditionally handmade with organic ingredients fresh from the farm Cheese platter Sweet treats chutneys and jams. The aisles are chock-full of temptation. It would be a sin not to give in. And if you re in need of more persuasion, go no further than Teres homemade real fruit ice-cream. A stroll through town is also architecturally rewarding. There are many heritage buildings and all new construction has to conform to the traditional style. Several of the old buildings house local art and design Weta Design ( and The Source, both on Kapanga Road are good for a cultural browse. But all this walking is hunger-inducing. The Coromandel Smoking Company, on the edge of town, takes nature s seafood bounty and smoke cures it everything from oysters and scallops to eels and snapper often adding a few herbs and spices to ramp up the taste sensation. Fresh seafood is smoked daily. An excellent spot to spend a couple of hours over lunch is the shady verandah of the Pepper Tree Restaurant & Bar in the middle of town. Fresh local crayfish is the catch here, followed by some fat and juicy mussels. But the chef can also bring out the best in wild pork. The hills are alive with the sound of feral pigs and hunting them is a local tradition. (The Wine and Wild Food Festival in nearby Tairua every January celebrates this symbiosis.) A bottle of Coromandel Peninsula Syrah from Ohui Vineyard on the east coast at Opoutere goes down well with the crayfish. It s a rich ruby colour with an aroma redolent of plums and blackberries. From Coromandel you have two choices. You can head to the peninsula s northernmost point at Cape Colville, 15km away through rugged bushland. Hippie and artist communes can still be found up here in this conservationist s heaven, but the rough metal road is suitable for 4WD only. Or cut across the Coromandel Ranges to the east coast fishing and holiday town of Whitianga, about 46km away. The views from atop the ranges are nothing short of spectacular, as you climb several hundred metres above sea level before descending to the coast. The highest point is Mount Moehau at 892m. Whitianga was a major timber port in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It s estimated that about 500 million feet of kauri timber was exported from the district. Things went pretty quiet in Whiti for a while, but now Aucklanders have discovered it in droves and there s a fair bit of development going on. This has its advantages as increased demand has led to a thriving restaurant scene, especially over the summer months. End the day with succulent seafood and seductive local vintages at Salt Restaurant in the old Whitianga Hotel on the waterfront opposite the marina. Surrounded by nautical memorabilia and walls adorned with pictures of various incarnations of the historic hotel, you re at the mercy of chef Bert van de Steeg s dangerously good menu. Paua and prawn fritters, pan-seared scallops, crayfish risotto and ostrich fillet. Yes, ostrich, mercifully low in fat and cholesterol, and sourced almost locally from the Piako Ostrich Farm near Ngatea on the Hauraki Plains. Apparently they also sell feather dusters. The highlight of the year in Whitianga is the annual scallop festival, sponsored by Marlborough s Maven Wines, a major event ILLUSTRATION: LIONEL PORTIER Oysters love it here Matatoki Farm Cheese ON THE FOOD TRAIL MATATOKI FARM CHEESE Wainui Road/SH26, Matatoki. (07) www. matatokicheese.co.nz THE CHOCOLATE SHOPPE 748 Pollen Street, Thames. (07) THE ORGANIC CO-OP 736 Pollen Street, Thames. (07) COROMANDEL OYSTER COMPANY 1611 SH25, Coromandel. (07) QANTAS APRIL 2008 APRIL 2008 QANTAS 59

3 Homegrown vegetables, Cathedral Cove PIAKO OSTRICHES 311 Piako Road, Turua. (07) THE COROMANDEL SMOKING CO 70 Tiki Road, Coromandel. (07) TERES OF COROMANDEL 225 Kapanga Road, Coromandel. (07) Smoking permitted, if not positively encouraged PEPPER TREE RESTAURANT 31 Kapanga Road, Coromandel. (07) SALT BAR & RESTAURANT 1 Blacksmith Lane, Whitianga. (07) on the New Zealand foodie calendar that celebrates the region s seafood and marine heritage. Held every August, just after scallop season starts, it s all about scallops cooked a dozen clever ways by local chefs and restaurants. The community is heavily involved with food and wine stalls, live entertainment, cooking classes and demonstrations. The Whitianga Coastguard stall s slightly more egalitarian mussel fritters are popular, too. The festival is also a great opportunity for other food producers to showcase their wares. Cathedral Cove Macadamias, for instance. The area s fertile soils and amenable microclimate are perfect for making macadamias. Hamish and Justin Pilkington grow macadamias on a property first planted with the nuts in the 1980s. They are experimenting with various by-products macadamia spreads, oils, coating the nuts with honey or chocolate, and a macadamia kelp coater, a tasty (and healthy) combo that is coincidentally ideal for coating and cooking up scallops. The Cathedral Cove Macadamias van is a very familiar festival fixture around the Coromandel. Less fishy in nature, but just as enthusiastically festive, the Homegrown Festival throughout May also showcases Coromandel cuisine, wine, art and music (it s tied in to NZ Music Month) at various venues around the peninsula. The Pohutukawa Festival in November/ December features yet more food, wine and music. The next day some sightseeing is warranted. Beaches beckon. At Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve, just south of Whitianga, a kayak Salt Bar & Restaurant, Whitianga The highlight of the year in Whitianga is the annual scallop festival FESTIVALS HOMEGROWN FESTIVAL (May) www. homegrownfestival.co.nz WHITIANGA SCALLOP FESTIVAL (August 27-31) POHUTUKAWA FESTIVAL (November 21-December 7) com/pohutukawafest TAIRUA WINE& FOOD FESTIVAL (January 3, 2009) www. thecoromandel.com/events Nuts in a van: Cathedral Cove Macadamias on the road 60 QANTAS APRIL 2008

4 Sit in a warm natural bath nursing a glass of wine as waves crash around you Seaside gothic: Cathedral Cove Garden party: Colenso Country Café Macadamia magic adventure paddle past gothic limestone formations and blowholes provides an authentic blast of nature. Jump overboard with a snorkel if it s warm enough, to check out the teeming underwater world. Continuing south, Cooks Beach and Hahei are tasty entrees to the main course that is Hot Water Beach. Here, geothermally heated mineral springs bubble up through the sands. Dig a hole at low tide and sit in a warm natural bath nursing a glass of wine as the waves crash around you. It s a relaxing way to watch the sun go down. Leaving Whitianga, heading south on SH25, you pass through the village of Coroglen where a small farmers market flaunts local produce outside the tavern every Sunday morning. A few minutes on is Whenuakite, where a breakfast pit stop is in order at the Colenso Country Café & Shop (closed in August), where the coffee is as good as the idyllic country garden surrounds. Refuelled and refreshed, it s a 35-minute drive to the holiday resort town of Tairua to hook up with Carl Muir of Epic Adventures. Because after all this seafood chitchat, it s finally time to go fishing. All aboard and, once over the treacherous Tairua bar, it s steady cruising out onto a sparkling Mercury Bay where finny fat boys are just waiting to jump on the line. The waters near the rocky Aldermen Islands prove home to seriously large snapper and kingfish. Back on the dry, make time to check out the amazing 360- degree views of Tairua, Pauanui and the Aldermen Islands Colenso Orchard chutney CATHEDRAL COVE MACADAMIAS 335 Lees Road, Hahei. (07) www. cathedralcovemacadamias. co.nz COLENSO COUNTRY CAFÉ & SHOP Main Road, Whenuakite. (07) OHUI VINEYARD Ohui Road, Opoutere. OHINEMURI ESTATE WINERY & RESTAURANT Moresby Street, Karangahake Gorge. (07) EPIC ADVENTURES Tairua. (07) co.nz 62 QANTAS APRIL 2008

5 Legends at Lakes Resort Pauanui Through Karangahake Gorge with its rushing, tumbling Ohinemuri River Karangahake gorgeous STAY KUAOTUNU BAY LODGE 8 SH25, Kuaotunu. (07) From $NZ180 ($157) with breakfast. LAKES RESORT PAUANUI 100 Augusta Drive, Pauanui. (07) Villas from $NZ310 ($271). MANAWA RIDGE 267 Ngatitanga Road, Waihi. (07) From $NZ650 ($569). Ohinemuri Estate Winery from the top of Mount Paku. It s a 20-minute walk to the 179m summit from a convenient carpark halfway up. With a fishy dinner in the bag, it s on to Pauanui (five minutes away) and a night at the Lakes Resort golf and country Club in a luxury villa overlooking the international golf course, surrounded by bushy hills. Staff at in-house Legends restaurant will be happy to cook your catch of the day. Next morning, drive south along the coast past the popular surfing haunt of Whangamata, through native bush and hilly farmland to Waihi, to see the still-productive gold and silver diggings at the Martha Mine. Then it s back to Auckland on SH26 through Karangahake Gorge with its rushing and tumbling Ohinemuri River, and the antique working railway that runs along its banks from Waihi to Waikino. At the gorge s northern end is Ohinemuri Estate Winery. Closed Monday and Tuesday, they will organise a tasting if you book. The winery buys in its grapes as high rainfall in the gorge precludes successful viticulture, but the Patutahi riesling and gewurztraminer are ideal for tasting before that final haul back to the big smoke. Or not. Ohinemuri also has a restaurant and accommodation. Maybe you d like to postpone your return for one more night? For airfares call Qantas on or visit qantas.com. For holiday packages to New Zealand call Qantas Holidays on QANTAS APRIL 2008