Three towns, three different drives
| Thames | Waihi | Whitianga | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Southwest corner of the peninsula, on the Firth of Thames | The foot of the peninsula, near the Bay of Plenty | Mercury Bay, on the eastern side |
| The road that matters | State Highway 25, and the Kopu Bridge over the Waihou | The winding Karangahake Gorge road to the west | State Highway 25, 93 km from Thames |
| Rain a year | About 1,158.6 mm | About 2,117 mm | About 1,774.7 mm |
| Worth checking first | Tyres and wipers for the coast road | Wipers and tread for the downpours | Battery, tyres and wipers on a car that sits |
Coromandel rain, bends and baches
Rain well above the east-coast norm
Waihi's rainfall is unusually high for New Zealand's east coast, and Whitianga isn't far behind. Tread that seems fine on a dry road can let go on a wet bend, so check it with a gauge or a coin rather than by eye.
Bends through the gorge
Heading west from Waihi, the road winds through the Karangahake Gorge with the Kaimai Ranges beyond. Tight corners lean on the steering and suspension and scrub the outside edges of the front tyres, so look there first.
Cars left at the bach
On census night in 2013, 39.1% of private dwellings in Whitianga were empty, against 11.1% across the country. A car parked at a holiday house for months often comes back with a flat battery, perished wiper rubber and tyres that have sat in one spot.
One highway round the loop
State Highway 25 is the main road around the peninsula, and Whitianga is 191 km from Auckland by road. If the car does the loop regularly, mention any noise or vibration at speed when the mechanic rings.
Before the drive to the garage
- If the car's been sitting, start it a few days early to make sure the battery's up to it.
- Lights all round, including the brake lights and the plate light.
- Wiper rubber soft and whole, and the washer bottle full.
- Kneel down and look behind each front tyre for wear you can't see from the kerb.
- Each seat belt reels back in by itself when you let it go.
- Nothing loose in the boot or on the dash that rattles over bumps.
Failed on the Coromandel?
Don't leave the warrant until the week you need the car for a trip. If the sheet comes back with a list, you'll want time for the repair and the recheck without a deadline hanging over it.
Put each item from the sheet into the note when you send the job. Get a written quote for the repair, and find out from the inspector what happens at the recheck.
Where we'd begin
We'd wake a parked car up a few days early, check the front tyres' outer edges if it does the gorge or the loop, and get the WoF in our own town. A fail would go in the note with every item, and the repair would get a written quote first.