The Coromandel, Whitianga and Mercury Bay

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After another quick stop over in Auckland we headed south to Whitianga (pronounced Fitianga, Wh is pronounced as a F in Maori, there is a place named Whakapapa but we'll get to that later). Here we headed to the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula to visit Catherdral Cove Marine Reserve which can only be accessed by foot or by kayak which explains why the scenery was so incredible. We spend the entire day completing the trail walks along the white sandy beaches, coastal walkways and rugged cliffs.
The next morning we visited the beach at Mercury Bay where you can dig your own hot pools and we did just that. The reservoir of water stems from heated water underground from a nearby volcano, when the tide is low you can rent a spade and start digging then take a seat in the boiling water on the beach, or add some sea water to cool it down a tad which is recommended.

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