The 309 Road

The 309 Road is a 22 kilometer road that links Whitianga and Coromandel Town. The gravel, windy path is a scenic route with many places of interest to be stopped at along the way. I decided to go exploring along this dusty road to see what it had to offer and I was more than pleased :).

My first stop was Egan Park, a suitable place to sit and have my morning tea! The park was beautiful with its flowing stream that ran past the picnic area. Tui could be heard singing from the ferns that lined the Mahakirau Stream.

Moving right along, my next stop was the 309 Kauri Grove. I've mentioned these magnificent trees before in a previous post, but they are some of the largest trees left standing in the world next to the Sequoia Trees in California. And massive as they are--

The trek to them was just as beautiful and I met a nice German lad that was so kind as to take a photo for me! Good thing for iPhone's "panorama" feature or I wouldn't have been able to get the sheer size of these beauties!

The third stop was Waiau Falls where the Waiau Stream pours out to collect as a perfect swimming pool. Of course the water was way too nippy for my liking so I just admired from a distance.

A gorgeous site! Just a few minutes drive from the falls is Castle Rock, an old volcano that rises up above the bush. I did not end up climbing the rock due to the rain but I appreciated it from afar.

Stop number five was Waiau Waterworks where a display of water-powered sculptures was presented as soon as you drove in!

As the water flowed between the cups, pots, hats, etc., the man looked as if he were doing the work by rotating the wheel. Pretty nifty! There was lots to see and do in the 2 acre park but i didn't bother as it was geared towards a younger crowd. However, I did enjoy a nice cup of coffee in their cafe!

The last stop was by far my favorite. Ever seen 200+ friendly piggies running about on an open farm with no fences? Well it looks about like this-

This is Stuarts Pig Farm, the highlight of my day! As soon as I drove up and opened my door, 20+ little Wilbur's were collected and begging for food! They were all so friendly! I couldn't believe such a place existed and nonetheless FREE!

Stuart told me of his love for all his creatures and how visitors come daily to play with them. I stayed chatting and playing for about 2 hours and I fell completely in love with a little freckle faced pig and so wanted to bring him home with me!

But of course I couldn't smuggle him across customs and Mareet would have killed me so I let him free and was the only one going "wah wah wah" all the home.

The road came to an end in Coromandel Town and I was greeted with rainbows at its end.

It was an incredible journey and I would definitely do it again. I finally made my way back to Whitianga and prepared for the next days adventure! Blog coming soon :)