Coromandel & the Driving Creek Railway

Coromandel, Waikato, New Zealand
Monday, November 11, 2013

Monday 11 November

Today dawned fine and clear and we started our day with a walk on a deserted beach at St Martins Bay which would lift the spirits of the grumpiest soul. We drove down to the Coromandel Peninsula arriving at lunchtime, stopping for a bite to eat at a lovely garden centre at Thames. The sun continued to shine whilst we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, on the east coast of the Peninsula. The scenery was spectacular, I have included the odd photo to give an idea, but in truth no photo would do it justice. All you flower arrangers out there, the driftwood was mouth wateringly tempting. It was scattered everywhere, but fitting it into a suitcase could be challenging! Clinging to the rocks at every conceivable angle were Pohutukawa trees. Known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, they are just coming into bloom, with their showy red bottle brush flowers. In a week or so the whole coastline will be aflame until Christmas and beyond, hence the name. Wild nasturtiums clothe the banks creating a riot of colour, interspersed by giant phormium tenax, throwing up their gigantic flower spikes. It was a thrilling drive, starting off hugging the shoreline for miles, eventually climbing higher and higher until the views over the coastline and sea with it's Islands took the breath away.
Our trip this afternoon was to the Driving Creek Railway and Potteries, just north of Coromandel. Sounds a bit odd? It was a revelation and an inspirational afternoon. The sun shone and we arrived at this higgledy piggedly group of buildings, set out vaguely like a railway station. (Peter T this is for you) The whole site, which is several acres, was bought by a potter called Barry Brickell in the 70s, to enable him to extract the good quality clay for potting and to establish a pottery workshop for himself and fellow artists. He is a something of an icon in these parts, both as an artist, railway enthusiast and conservationist. The land had been cleared of its original Kauri forest in the 1800s and laid waste by subsequent subsistence farmers. He set about building a short railway to convey the clay down the mountainous terrain for the pottery and it grew and grew. It now takes 1 hr to travel through the regenerated kauri forest (all his own work) and the track incorporates 2 spirals, 3 short tunnels, 5 reversing points & several large viaducts. Every inch of track has been hand built and laid by Barry himself, in between earning himself a more than justified high reputation as a potter. The final terminus is The Eyefull Tower, yes, I'm not joking and the 360 degree panoramic views are fantastic! particularly today with the sun bouncing off the sparkling blue waters and the lush greens of the tree ferns, which clothe the hillside, together with replanted young Kauri , pittosporum and so on.
A variety of pots decorate the whole site, hand-made clay tiles line the tunnels, and embankments are built up with empty glass bottles, of which there is apparently no shortage (plenty of parties thrown as well as pots!). This incredible man, a native New Zealander, with a zest for life that humbles one, has achieved all this virtually single handed and at 78 still climbs up to the Eyefull Tower 2 or 3 times a week to read the visitor book and check all is well. He has taken no money from the project beyond essential expenses and intends to will the whole enterprise to the Nation on his death, for the conservation side of his amazing life long project to continue into the future. I asked Pete, the train driver, if Mr Brickell is married, thinking to myself, that his wife must be a remarkable person to cope with several all consuming passions beyond herself! The answer was fired back instantly ' Of course not, if he had been, the furthest he would have got up that mountain was putting out the bins!'
We are staying in Coromandel town tonight, which is delightful and had a terrific seafood meal at the Peppertree restaurant. The local oysters are certainly to be recommended!Read more