Diane’s Blog and Blurbs: #27 - Renewed Our Wedding Vows in Coramandel

I’ve always known that my husband was a real romantic but he outdid himself this past week. He surprised me by arranging the renewal of our wedding vows in a lovely secluded location. We had plans to drive to the Coromandel Peninsula for an overnight stay and to see the amazing coastline, and also to check out some of the history and folklore of the region,

So Jeff contacted a celebrant who took us to a great spot on a beach under a Pohutukawa tree. These large trees are very special here as they are green all year long, and then just about a week before Christmas their blooms turn a beautiful shade of crimson. Then back to green for the rest of the year. They are known as NZ’s native Christmas tree. Their roots are highly entwined and partially exposed above the ground.

So as part of our vows we acknowledged the entwined roots of the Pohutukawa at our feet symbolizing the long and enduring entwinement of our lives. Our witness was a lone shorebird who stood beside us the entire time watching intently. A gentle breeze accompanied our vows as the waves lapped gently onto the beach.

Diane and Jeff renew their wedding vows
on the beach under a Pohutukawa tree

The Pohutukawa tree is green all year, then turns crimson red just before Christmas.

What I didn’t mention is my doubt about whether we’d ever arrive in Coromandel alive. The roads in New Zealand, once you get out of the cities, are often narrow with many hairpin turns up and down and around the mountainsides. But this particular drive was tortuous. I think that means winding, but it also tortured us, and I recall gasping several times as our tires hugged the edge of the road with a steep drop off. Took this photo on one of the roads where we actually had a guardrail. Most of the time there was none.

Penguins have right of way crossing the street.

But I’m blogging so that means we survived. The Coromandel is a favorite vacation spot for locals with crystal clear waters and many caves, coves, and blow holes along the coast. We drove over to Whitianga and took a glass bottom boat to see the stunning volcanic coastline above and below the surface of the water. Cathedral Cove is so scenic that it is often featured in travel magazines and was even offered as a screensaver for computers.

While in the area, the newly re-weds also decided to take the Driving Creek Narrow Gauge Moutain Railway. Barry Brickell was a potter who established a pottery studio up on the side of a mountain. Tired of hauling all the clay uphill, he built a railway starting in 1973 laying most of the track by hand, including bridges, viaducts, and some tunnels. At the top is “EyeFull Tower” which at that elevation does provide some beautiful scenery.