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PUKETUI VALLEY...
My Coromandel Sanctuary
Coromandel Life is delighted to share Emma Darragh’s family trip to Puketui Valley,
her favourite Summer getaway. However, you can enjoy this DOC recreational
area any time of the year. Situated along the scenic Tairua River, it offers many
opportunities for walking, canoeing, trout fishing, fossicking, rafting, bird watching,
photography, picnicking, camping and more.
Many trails and hikes are suited for all levels of fitness, and range from 15min to
4hrs. See tumbling waterfalls, an old jail and stamper batteries. Explore tunnels
including a 500m one through an abandoned mine (see next pages for more info).
“We didn’t bring shoes,” say the two barefoot
boys I have brought along to Puketui Valley
as we pile out of the hot dusty car. We are
leaving behind the crash and hustle of Tairua’s
surf beach and the long stream of holiday
traffic lining its main road.
The contrast to the beach is what I love most
– the icy freshness of the river water, the pure
forest air. The peace and quiet and slower
pace. Here all I hear is birdsong and the ripple
of the river as it courses around the rocks.
It is only a 20min drive from Tairua, yet seems
a world away. It feels remote but is just 6km
off SH25 along a dead-end gravel road. It is an
easy day trip, camping stay, or quick cool-off
from the nearby beach towns. The valley even
seems to have its own micro-climate. In Tairua
I left behind an angry southerly whipping the
sand on-shore. At Puketui, there wasn’t a
breath of wind.
graduated depths at its edge – perfect for
sitting and soaking. The waterfall hurtles into
a pool about the size of three spa pools, deep
enough for an adult to leap into...if they dare.
Even in summer, the pool is virtually an ice
bath. I have made a ritual of plunging straight
in, making my breath catch and my skin tingle.
Today the boys clamber up to a moss-covered
cliff and leap off, challenging each other to
make the biggest splash.
Finding flat smooth stones, the boys skim them
onto the surface of the river. They bounce – one,
two, three times – the flick of their wrist a long
learnt muscle memory.
The Broken Hills DOC campground is vast
and meandering, offering an abundance
of riches in tent-site real estate. You can
pitch a pup tent on the banks of the river, or
peg out a family-sized set up atop a gentle
mound with majestic cliff views. Grassy cul-
de-sacs make the perfect communal spot
for clusters of campers, with your own path
to the river and plenty of trees for rigging up
the solar shower. If you’re after privacy and
solitude, nestle your tent under the tall Tea
Tree canopy and listen to the lovely silence.
I have camped in every spot, every way,
every summer for over a decade. It is always
a relaxing and rejuvenating experience.
Children form an ever-expanding tribe at
this mellow campground in the summers,
becoming ‘nut-brown BMX bandits’ existing
for days on sausages, sauce and swims.
A couple of minutes stroll from the Broken
Hills campground is the waterfall waterhole
– a crystalline pool with rock ledges creating
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARNE ROHDE
STORY BY EMMA DARRAGH
COURTESY OF DESTINATION COROMANDEL
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COROMANDEL LIFE LATE SPRING / HOLIDAY 2018