Coromandel Peninsular

---

We were quite relieved to leave stinky Rotorua after our second day. And at times we still think that we can smell the sulphur!!

Our windy roads continued and we snaked our way up the east coast until Whitianga, where we stopped at Hot Water Beach - where (at low tide) hot spring water oozes to the surface and you can have your own personal ‘spa’ bath. It was unfortunately the start of high tide (low tide was about 7pm - the reason why it can only be done at low tide is so that you can access the part of the beach where the hot springs are and dig a deep enough hole to reach the hot water). The sea was a beautiful light turquoise colour and looked very inviting however, the surf was quite rough, so i would definitely not be doing any swimming. We continued with our drive (we were still another hour from Coromandel) and decided to take the ‘shorter’ 309 road to Coromandel town. This may have been a shorter route, but it was also mainly a gravel road cutting through the Coromandel State Forest. It was quite a scenic drive, but i think that the alternate coastal drive would have yielded more “oohs” and “aah’s” from me.

By the time we arrived in Coromandel the clouds had come over and the wind had picked up. Our campsite was just outside of the town overlooking a pretty bay. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town, which was not much more than a sprinkling of shops. We decided that we would not drive back to Hot Water Beach that evening, but rather go early the following morning thus giving us the rest of the day to explore that part of the coast.

We woke up bright and early that next morning at 5.45am. Madness, i know, to go and sit on the beach of all things! And to make matters worse it had been raining, luckily it seemed to have stopped by the time we were ready to leave. We opted for the more scenic coastal route, but as it was still pitch black we could not appreciate the views. By the time we arrived at the beach the sky had lightened but still no sign of the sun, and we noticed that we were not the only mad people; there were a couple other people carrying spades. Mistake no 1- we thought that we would dig our holes in the sand with our hands. We made our way to the beach, where there were already people sitting in their steaming pools. It was quite a sight, people in sitting in ‘hot pools’ with the sea lapping at their sides. And so began our frantic dig in the sand, it felt like we were children again making ‘castles’ to try stop the water getting into our hole. But it was a fruitless effort. Mistake No 2 was coming as the tide was turning, and thus the waves were relentless and kept filling up our holes. We might have succeeded if we had hired a spade, but the shop was closed at that hour in the morning. We sadly had to admit defeat, and i am sorry to say that we never got to enjoy our ‘spa’ on the beach.

With our spirits low, we decided to visit Cathedral Cove, a bay further up the coast. By now the sun had risen and it was looking like a lovely day. It was a good 40 minute walk to the cove, and we were rewarded with some beautiful views. The sea had carved out a perfect arch in the rock through which you can walk (at low tide) to get to a smaller cove. We were amazed by the beauty of nature and spent some time exploring the smaller coves. With our spirits back up, we made our way back to our car for some breakfast - the joy of camping is that you have all your necessities with you at all times!!

We drove up through Whitianga to Otama beach and Opito Bay, and continued to be amazed by the beautiful coastline. Long white sandy beaches with turquoise waves crashing down and almost deserted. We really have been spoilt with all we have seen and to have the most incredible weather has been an added bonus. The drive back to Coromandel (via the coastal road) was just as beautiful, with stunning white beaches coming into view around every bend.

We had thought about taking a drive to the tip of the peninsular, but we were unsure of the quality of the roads and the following day was going to be a long, tiring drive to Russell. So we spent the remainder of the day at relaxing at our little bay.

It is hard to believe that we only have 3 days left in New Zealand, and we will try giving these last few days our all.

---

Photos

Hot Water Beach
Digging holes in the sand to get to the hot water.

Comments

[mom]

So beautiful. Graham and Carryn came last night to wish Duncan a good trip. " His bag is packed and ready to go! Leaving on a jet plane! " Have a fun time in Hawaii.