Coromandel Peninsula

On Sunday night (25th), I met two girls (Mariette, Dutch, and Katherine, German, not French for once) at the backpackers that were heading to the same place as me, so I proposed to drive them along.
Monday morning, I went to a garage for my second battery, then to the post office to register me buying the van, and I shopped a bit to go to the middle of nowhere (no telephone service over there): the Coromandel peninsula.
It took 3 hours (2 hours on gravel) to drive up there via Coromandel Town and Colville. Once at the backpackers place in Fletcher bay, we met a German firefighter named Eric (it seems in NZ, backpackers are either French or German). We were only 4 inside. We had dinner and went to bed early to start the coastal track early the next day.
We took the mountain bike track first, and honestly it sucks with way too much elevation and not a big enough reward at the end. 780 meters in only 3 hours is way too much.
We had lunch in Stoney Bay then went back by the coastal track, which is way easier, less elevation but a bit more length. In the end, we did 1200 meters of climbing and 6 hours of walking.
Overall, avoid the mountain bike track and take only the coastal track directly to the lookout point. 4 hours return walk much easier and more view.
Tuesday night, back to civilization in Whitianga. Laundry day planned before going to Cathedral Cove and hot water beach.