COROMANDEL THE PENINSULA

Chargenet Stations

505 Mackay Street, Thames

55 Woollams Avenue, Coromandel

Read more about Opito Bay Salt in our winter edition, out in June. In the meantime you can buy their range of salts, from the original natural sea salt to their award winning flavours like rosemary or smoked chilli salt, via their website or great food stores.

Coffee Lala

Hidden down an inconspicuous track, just out of Kuaotunu is a Coromandel treasure. Coffee LaLa’s roastery sits beautifully among the bush in an old pottery studio. In true Coromandel style the roaster is a rustic, number eight wire affair that relies on skill over technology to roast their beans.

Owners Mark Tugendhaft and Nedilka Radojkovich began roasting coffee 21 years ago, winning two awards that first year, which have continued to roll in.

Salt District Brewing

Coromandel’s newest craft brewers opened their cellar door in late January. Here, locals and visitors alike can come and fill their flagons on a Friday or Saturday afternoon with one of the three main brews (Party Wave Pale Ale, Sea Legs Hazy Pale, or Big Moocher – a big clear IPA) along with an ever-changing range of seasonal brews.

You can also find Salt District Brews at a number of local spots like Craft Haus and Port Road Project.

Drive

The Coromandel is known to offer the off the beaten track holiday, and so what better adventure to test the fully electric Lexus UX 300e than on the long windy roads in the Coromandel.

Like many new to electric cars, our biggest concern was charging: how, when and where were all questions we grappled with before setting off. The UX 300e has a range of up to 340kms, but Mike from Lexus Tauranga pointed out it takes just as long for the car to charge from 0–20% as it does 20–80%. The aim, therefore, is to regularly stop and top up the charge rather than running it to absolute empty as I would my petrol car.

Here are our tips:

Download the Charge Net app and plan your trip. This means planning where you will stop for a recharge of the car and a refuel for you.

We found that the car would recharge at the fast charge stations in the same time it took us to grab a coffee and something to eat. In Thames that was the cute Hi Stranger Café on Pollen Street. Handily, in Whangamatā it was our favourite spot, Port Road Project.

Check with your accommodation beforehand that you can charge the car. We stayed at Tatahi Lodge in Hahei only to find the cord didn’t reach our unit. Luckily a solution was found, with us backing up to the owner’s kitchen and plugging in for the night.

With the Kopu Hikuai Road closed, we were forced to traverse the Tapu-Coroglen Road, but I must say it was a very comfortable ride in the Lexus. And once I mastered knowing when the car was on or off (these electric cars are silent), it was smooth sailing, or should that be driving?

NZ’S LARGEST RANGE

Of party & cake decorating supplies!

FIND US on the corner of Rostrevor & Harwood Streets, Hamilton.