Part 3: Opoutere:
Kayaking and Clam Digging

Driving right past the tiny burg of Opoutere, we
pitched our tent on the idyllic YHA
hostel’s lawn. This was another great tip
from our friends. The hostel is in a lovely quiet cove, with cabins,
dorms and a few camping sites. They supply a spacious kitchen, TV-free
social areas and computer access. They also stock lots of info on
things to do, including rules for checking out their free kayaks, or
borrowing buckets for digging cockles. The annoyance of mosquitoes
bombarding our tent was more than offset by nice perks like access to
the herb garden and the comfy couches on the patio. This was another
great place to settle in for two nights.

They recommended kayaking around high tide, which was 9:30 the next
morning, so we made sure to get up and out by 9. We were the only ones
taking out boats, so we had our pick of the rackful. We hauled them
down the 100 yards or so to the bank and then spent about 2 hours
paddling around the estuary and up the stream, watching birds, admiring
trees and just enjoying the peaceful solitude. We saw native pukekos
and a kingfisher, cranes and a swan along with countless gulls and
shorebirds. Heading back in proved a little challenging with the
receding tide, but we eventually wove between the sandbars back to our
launching point.

After washing and stowing the kayaks, we were packing another picnic
when a magpie marched into the kitchen. You see sparrows inside
restaurants all over New Zealand, but this bird was decidedly larger
and a bit more forward. We shooed him out and latched the door, but he
was waiting expectantly outside when we exited. He followed us to our
tent, and then back to the office, where we were relieved to learn he
was a neighbor’s escaped pet. Until the owners came to fetch
him, the pesky youngster begged forcefully for food, standing on
F’s feet and squawking insistently.

Once our little
buddy’s mom wooed him away with some nice fat grubs, we
headed across the bridge to the 5K Beach.

We splashed in the cold tides and wandered down a good part of the
empty stretch of white sand, trying not to disturb the pairs of
oystercatchers. We picked up shells and poked at a huge stingray
carcass, then looked for a likely lunch spot. With the wind picking up,
we sought some shelter against the dunes behind the beach but along
with wind protection they brought clouds of evil little sandflies. We
ended up eating quickly and heading back up toward the spit at the
estuary opening. This nesting ground for the endangered New
Zealand dotterel narrows to a thin sandbar with just one path
crossing through the protected dunes. After crossing we walked the
estuary side, impressed by the density of cockle and pipi shells.

We
reached our tent thoroughly exhausted from miles of hiking and
paddling, but we just couldn’t resist the idea of digging our
own dinner. So we grabbed bucket and shovel and trudged back up the
estuary to find our quarry. The posted signs allowed us 50 cockles or
pipis each, at least an inch across. Cockles are almost spherical,
thick shelled clamlike shellfish, while pipis are triangular with very
thin shells. We started digging tentatively, but got excited as our
technique improved and we found bigger and bigger cockles just a few
inches under the surface. Walnut sized became our minimum standard and
soon we had around 30, which seemed like plenty. We had less luck with
finding big enough pipis, but we gathered a few. Back at the hostel,
after setting our catch to soak in clear water, we finally got our nap.

Though we hadn’t expected fresh shellfish, luckily we were
well stocked with white wine, butter and garlic and so we steamed up
our feast much as we would regular clams. The cockles popped open and
were tender and tasty. (Pipis, we later learned, must be caught by
professionals to avoid eating clam-shaped sand lumps, which is all we
ended up with.) Our satisfying meal left us too lazy to go out and see
the glow worms in the nearby trees.

The next morning, we weren’t ready to leave this gentle
paradise, but our hosts in Hamilton were expecting us back, so we vowed
to make a return adventure a top priority. It was obvious that the main
goal of touristing here was to get away from it all, though there are
plenty of family fun destinations to keep kids busy. Even in a laid
back place like this, we don’t manage to hit all the
highlights, but that leaves some things for next time.

Resources:

http://www.thecoromandel.com
– professional, official tourism website

http://www.coromandelfun.co.nz
– chatty descriptions of towns and attractions with
downloadable fun maps and fairly good accommodations listings
http://www.coromandeltown.co.nz
– quirky site with info for locals and tourists