Whitianga and Hot Water Beach

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After the nice weather on our driving day, it rained again last night! Fortunately, it had stopped by the morning and left the sky with scattered clouds. Suzy went for a walk on the beach early and upon her return we formulated a plan for the day.

The proprietor of our accommodations told us that low tide wasn't until 4PM, so that gave us most of the day before we could access the hot water on the beach. This unique area spends most of the day submerged and is only exposed at about 2 hours on either side of low tide.

We drove north to the "town" of Hahei, a few kilometers to the north. There wasn't much to it, so we kept going north and found a trailhead to a couple of bays. We took a 15-minute path to Gemstone Bay which was pretty much under water due to the tide which had been amplified by the storms from the previous weekend. The area above the beach did afford some decent views of islands off of the coast. These are scattered throughout this region.

We got back in the car and drove another 10 kilometers or so to take a passenger ferry across a small bay to Whitianga. Right off the ferry unloading area, there was a park full of local children so Theo jumped into the fray. While he burned off some energy, Geddy and I went to rent a bicycle built for 6. We rented the two-rowed four-pedaled vehicle for an hour to explore the town a bit. This was a fun way to check things out - faster than on foot, and not as cumbersome as continually driving and parking.

When we returned to our house, we had just enough time to grab a late lunch and head down to Hot Water Beach to dig a private pool on the beach. We could notice the car park for the beach starting to fill up and quite a few people heading to the middle part of the beach where the hot water bubbles to the surface. To our surprise when we got there, most of the area where pools could be built was claimed. We tried to dig at the edges of other pools, but alas only cold water could be struck. The whole scene was quite a site. As time passed, it was a total melting pot of humanity (literally and metaphorically). Eventually, the tide subsided enough for us to build a pool on the ocean side of the grouping and enjoy some of the hot water. In some spots the water would burn your feet, it was so hot! The kids all frolicked in the waves a bit as well. I joined them for a spell. The water temperature wasn't too bad, maybe about 62-64 degrees. This was an interesting and dynamic scene with a mixture of college-aged kids, families and couples of nearly all ages. Most were hanging out in the pools and occasionally someone (usually a younger man) would make a run for the ocean and dive in before heading back to the warmth of the pools.

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Photos

Theo climbing to the top!
Not sure if this structure would fly in US playgrounds, but Theo and the Kiwi kids were all over it!

Crazy scene at Hot Water Beach
A mass of people congregating where the hot water seeps through fractures below the surface.