The Coromandel peninsula of New Zealand is home to a long stretch of coastline and several cute towns. My friend Allison and I pick up our rental car in Auckland, stock up on a few essential groceries for the week, and begin our drive towards the coast.

The first town we stop in is called Thames. There’s a row of shops but everything is very quiet.

We climb back into the car and drive the winding roads up towards Coromandel Town (which is just across the bay from Auckland and accessible by ferry for day-trippers). The shoreline is rugged and beautiful, perhaps akin to the Great Lakes region or coastal Maine. But we’re newly minted left-hand-side-of-the-road drivers and I find the narrow and curvy roads intimidating, so I hold my breath on the hairpin turns. I snap a few photos on the straighter stretches.

As the road climbs higher, we begin to see panoramic views of the green hills and water in the distance.

Here’s our cute little car for the week. Also, Apex has excellent rates (we vetted the competition before choosing them) and their insurance police is fantastic. Like, a nominal daily insurance fee ($12) reduces our liability to zero dollars.

Are you kidding me?! We’re pretty blown away by the views.

We grab a small bite to eat in Coromandel Town. It’s cuter and a lot more bustling than Thames; we wish we could take back our 30 minutes from there and spend them here.

I order the chili pumpkin coconut soup from Chai Tea House and it’s delicious.

In an inspired twist on the 23rd Psalm, the paper on the left reads: “The Lord Coffee is My Shepherd.”

The photo on the right is actually from a bakery in Thames earlier in the day (I didn’t eat one but couldn’t resist taking a photo of those marshmallow cones).

This is the Star & Garter Hotel in Coromandel Town. The place is empty but the airy interior catches my eye as we pass by.

I dig the “husband waiting” chairs in front of this boutique.

Allison poses in front of 4 Square, which is a New Zealand grocery store chain and also a social media platform that allows patrons to check in and possibly become “the mayor” of frequently visited establishments.

We get back into the car and head towards Whitianga, where we’ll spend the night. There’s a few more scenic look-outs along the way and we pause for photos.

We arrive in Whitianga just in time to catch low tide at Hot Water Beach… more on that tomorrow!