The P in L&P

I mentioned in an earlier post (about Thames) that I would come back to give more details on Paeroa.. so here we go…

You may, or may not  – depending where you live and if you’ve ever visited New Zealand – have heard of L&P.

It’s world-famous in New Zealand.

It’s a little bit of kiwiana and you can read more about New Zealand’s national soft drink here and here.

So anyway … the P in L&P stands for Paeroa where the drink originally obtained its carbonated mineral spring water.

Although nowadays the brand is owned by Coca-Cola and the drink no longer made in Paeroa – there is no way you could visit the town and not realise its link to the fizzy drink. There are signs and small reminders all over Paeroa…

We travel through Paeroa quite often. It’s quite central and for us it’s a good stopping place on the way to the Coromandel plus it’s just a short distance from one of our all time favourite places, Karangahake Gorge.

Paeroa has a good selection of shops but it’s probably best known (other than the L&P connection) for its antique and second-hand shops.

We can easily lose an hour or two browsing in the shops and fortunately, for our bank account, we do generally just browse and not buy.

The other reason we stop in Paeroa quite regularly is this…

Overnight parking with electricity is provided by the council with a small request of $5 a night.

The spot is just at the end of the main street with public toilets and a children’s playground next door and a major supermarket two minutes away.

Another $5 parking spot (for self-contained motorhomes) is at Paeroa Racecourse and parking, and more, is provided at the Paeroa RV Centre.

Historic fact no. 1
Paeroa was once had a bustling river port which was a thriving transport and distribution centre during the gold rush. The increase of road and rail travel saw the demise of river transportation and boat traffic ceased in the late 1930s.

Historic fact no. 2
In 1769 Captain James Cook sailed up the Waihou River to Netherton, 7kms north of Paeroa. He named the river The Thames, as it resembled the River Thames in his homeland.

Paeroa regularly holds a variety of town events, the next one is the Highland Games and Tattoo on Feb 11.

I may have to check and see if the KiwiBlogBus is passing through town on that day.