The hostel at Thames was small and the people friendly and I got chatting to guests in the kitchen. I was planning to drive up to Coromandel town and then on round the peninsula before going to Rotorua. I ended up giving a lift to Laurence who said he wanted to go to the Celtic fair in Coromandel. He was a very good travel companion and we spent an agreeable time chatting and admiring the view along the spectacular coast. The drive is much more scenic than the one to the Bay of Islands as the road hugs the coast and there is a new fantastic view around every corner. The centre of the peninsula is mountainous and there were some amazing hill climbs before we came down into Coromandel town. The town like all the ones in the last day or so did not actually have a beach. Again it was on an estuary and after a short walk and a look across the spectacular bay I decided to move on. 
Laurence was not that impressed with the Celtic fair which was not very celtic and decided to continue with me.
After another very steep hill climb and descent we came down to Whitianga. This time there was a stunning long white beach with very few people on it. The day was scorching so we were able to have a great break from the driving and stroll on the beach and paddle. 
We set off again and after negotiating more hills with occasional breathtaking views of the sea we encountered an almighty traffic jam. We took an hour and a half to descend to Tairua. We had the radio on and eventually there was an interview with the police man who was at the source of the problem, a one lane bridge over the river in the middle of the town. This was causing a huge amount of holiday weekend traffic to back up. The policeman kept saying to stay calm 'it's the traffic not the bridge'. I shouted back at the radio 'No it's the bridge'!!! 'We have a few soldiers in England who can build you a two lane bridge in about a week'!!
The one lane bridges are very common out on the country roads and you have to keep your wits about you as even though you may have priority it is the biggest vehicle on the bridge at the time which actually has it! Another hazard is the railway crossing. You may be approaching at 80/100 kph and usually there is a sign which says stop for a red light, but the sign is only on the crossing itself. There are no barriers. Occasionally though there is one really dangerous type. I only realised when I was practically on the crossing that the sign said to slow to 25 and cross after having looked for trains!! Now my rule is to slow right down for all of them.
Having completed the circuit of the Cormandel I dropped Laurence off at a cross roads just south of Thames and set off south for Rotorua. Two hours later after a long straight run with only a few single lane briges and railway crossings I arrived in Rotorua. I smelt it first- sulphur (strangely sweet) and then I saw small clouds of steam drifting upwards in various places. Spooky!
