CoroLife 60P 15SPR FIN-LR-redWLinksREV3

14 / 60

14 COROMANDEL LIFE 2015 SPRING/HOLIDAY
Home to the Coromandel’s finest wines &
Coromandel’s most idyllic wedding venue
Phone: 07 866 4066
761A Purangi Road,
Cooks Beach
Please visit website for opening hours
WINERY
Ideal location for
morning tea,
lunch and
Sunday brunch
...or just a glass of wine.
Take Purangi Road north to Cooks Beach
where Rees Road leads to the water’s edge.
Perfect for the entire family, Cooks is the
area’s longest beach (2.5km). Protected from
the ocean by islands, it has low surf action,
good for fun on a boogie board. Picturesque
estuaries are at each end. The estuary at the
western end is a great spot for children to play
and usually less busy than the estuary at the
eastern boat ramp end. You can hire kayaks
and fill dive tanks at nearby Cooks Beach
Timber and Hardware.
For the adults, taste some of our regional
wines complimented by popular local platters
at the Mercury Bay Estate Winery. You’ll enjoy
stunning vistas of the sea through the vineyards
from their ‘Cellar Door’.
Find a variety of shops, takeaways, restaurants
and accommodation in Cooks Beach and the
surrounding area including a resort centre at
Flaxmill Bay, whose website offers a great pdf
map of the area:
COOKS BEACH
This long, safe swimming beach offers estuaries at each end with ample carpark access.
Seen jutting out to left is Shakespeare Cliff. On the cliff’s far west side, discover Flaxmill Bay
Beach, Front Beach and the historic stone wharf near the walk-on ferry to downtown Whitianga.
CAPTAIN COOK AND MERCURY BAY
Celebrate the 246th anniversary of Cook’s landing
here to observe the ‘Transit of Mercury’ across the
face of the sun. Cook and astronomer Charles Green
set up their instruments in an observation tent (see sketch above)
on 9 November 1769 to record the event. The Captain’s almanac told him the precise time,
and by comparing his with times at Greenwich, they used the transit like a celestial clock to
determine the latitude and longitude of Mercury Bay. The actual site was the eastern end of
Cook’s Beach near the Purangi estuary, where there is a small memorial plinth.
And that is how Mercury Bay got its name.
Hike the paths atop Shakespeare Cliff where one can view
the stunning panorama of Mercury Bay from a platform at
the tip of the plateau. The cove at the base of the east edge
is Lonely Bay Beach, accessible by footpath from the top.
Right: “Lonely Bay” – a painting on plywood by our Road
Trip artist Charlotte Giblin – shows the enticing vista.
Cooks Beach
is awash in history
Photos by Roberta Huffman
EST 1992
See all the highlights in one hour on this
Kiwi favourite Cathedral Cove boat tour.
Departs Hahei Beach, 10 minutes from Hot Water Beach.
Phone 07 866 3910 •
EST 1992
CATHEDRAL COVE TOUR
Hahei, Coromandel Peninsula
THE ORIGINAL
HAHEI EXPLORER