KEY POINTS:
Back in the 70s we used to dream of living in Coromandel. As we drove through the town on our way to camping spots further north, I'd pick out suitably dilapidated colonial cottages and imagine living a blissful, hippie life.
The 70s gave way to the mercenary 80s and careers, children and houses relegated the Coromandel dream to the nostalgia file. But the town didn't give up so easily.
Coromandel has its share of bland new housing and some truly ugly buildings from the last couple of decades of the last century, but its core remains a charming blend of colonial architecture, ordinary small-town New Zealand and hippie lifestyle.
So it was with keen anticipation that Sel and I made our way from Cooks Beach over the winding, still unsealed 309 Rd to stay at Indigo on the northern outskirts of Coromandel.
Indigo is the creation of ceramic artist and self-confessed "old hippie" Robyn Lewis.
Back in New Zealand after 27 years in Tasmania, she settled in Coromandel six years ago and bought an appropriately shabby house on a property with a small creek and extensive, overgrown gardens.
She attacked the house first, making it liveable, then began taming the garden. At the top end of the Flays Rd property, she decided to build some guest accommodation in a character and style that artists and old hippies might enjoy.
Indigo opened in September 2006, a combination of Robyn's ideas and ex-partner, architect Gary Underwood's design.
The result is a lovely, understated, 21st century take on the classic Kiwi lean-to, with two studio apartments unobtrusively stacked on the sloping site.
The building is all symmetrical angles and clean lines, with feature walls of onduline and a coat of subtle yellow paint. It was to have been blue - Robyn's favourite colour.
The colour changed but the name, Indigo, stuck. Set in newly-planted bush, it nevertheless looks as if it belongs there.
Inside, the clean, simple design continues, with beautifully burnished earth floors, attractive rugs, a central dividing wall, white pebble-floored bathrooms and double beds on raised platforms.
Robyn's artistic touch is everywhere, from her own paintings and pots to the furniture and furnishings. The upper apartment features antique carved Balinese doors, Egyptian wooden louvres and an Afghani chest.
We had a choice of either apartment. The lower one has the advantage of a totally private outdoor bath, but the design and layout of the upper apartment appealed more.
We decided we'd bathe when it was dark enough not to worry about the rare passing car.
It was time for a drink before dinner, so we nipped into the Star and Garter, Coromandel's middle pub.
Handsomely refurbished and stocked with a good selection of beer and wine, the bar had a scattering of patrons. We made the most of the early evening light flooding the courtyard on the last weekend of daylight saving and remembered bygone days.
Next door is Umu, a smart, friendly eatery that's challenging the famous Peppertree as the place to dine in Coromandel. Sel was disappointed to learn the local oysters were off - literally, our waitress disarmingly told us.
But we dined well on scallops, pork belly and lamb, with a lemon-passionfruit tart making the most of autumn's bounty.
Back at Indigo, the night was still and the passing cars non-existent, so we filled the outdoor bath, lit some candles and put some Ahmad Jamal on the stereo. Bliss.
Robyn doesn't do breakfast and although the kitchen's fully equipped, we headed back into town for some basic but generous nosh at Kapanga Café before checking out the shops.
Coromandel wakes up slowly on Saturday mornings and it was lunchtime before locals and visitors packed the street.
There are plenty of points of interest, including The Source, a co-op gallery run by a small group of talented local artists, including Robyn Lewis. Her distinctive pots and platters are on show, as well as some of her jewellery and felting.
Coromandel has a thriving arts scene and, this month, Robyn is joining more than 30 artists in throwing their homes and studios open to the public in the third Great Coromandel Arts Tour.
The 10-day festival started last Friday with a silent auction at Hauraki House Gallery, featuring pieces from all 34 participating artists.
Studios and homes in and around Coromandel were open for visitors from 10am until 4pm from Saturday. It's a great chance not only to see artists at work but also have a stickybeak at their houses and enjoy the scenery of the upper Coromandel Peninsula.
Allow two or three days, if you can, to take in a selection of artists from Te Kouma, south of Coromandel, to Colville further north and Tuateawa on the east coast.
There are painters, sculptors, carvers, jewellers, ceramic, glass and textile artists.
A tour bus is being organised for the weekends, especially for people using the ferry from Auckland, but other visitors are welcome to hop on board.
A new feature this year is The Great Beginning exhibition at Hauraki House Gallery, where artists are showing the initial drawings, maquettes and textile samples for some of their work. The tour also includes music, poetry and theatre events.
* Shenagh Gleeson was a guest of Robyn Lewis and Indigo.
GETTING THERE
From Auckland: 2.5-hour drive, two-hour ferry ride, www.360discovery.co.nz; 20-minute flight, www.greatbarrierairlines.co.nz.
WHERE TO STAY
Indigo, Flays Rd, Coromandel. Phone (07) 8667388, www.indigo-bush-studios.co.nz. Winter season, until October 31, $195 per night.
WHAT TO DO
The Great Coromandel Arts Tour is on now until May 11, see www.coromandelartstour.org.nz, tickets $12.50.
Events include: 34 artists' studios open daily; The Great Beginning exhibition, Hauraki House Gallery, 10am-4pm daily; make a raku pot with Stuart Fyfe, 531 Preeces Pt Rd, 11am-2.30pm; Music & Poetry Evening, Hauraki House Gallery, May 8, 8pm; Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue S'il Vous Plait, Coromandel Players, Hauraki Theatre, May 9-10.
