Hot Water Beach

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Wow, hot water beach might have been the most unique thing I've seen so far. Basically it's a natural hot springs underneath a beach. You wait until the tide is low, then dig a hole in the sand and incredibly hot water comes pouring out through the hole. The water from the Pacific Ocean then comes in when a wave comes up and you literally get a natural hot tub.

The water from the hot springs is really hot (58-63°C). When we first got there, it was painful walking along the beach because it was burning our feet. The water from the ocean is really cold, so you have to get a good mix of both. If your pool is too cold, you dig a little deeper into the sand to warm it up.

Was a great relaxing night. Here we were in pitch blackness, pouring rain, sitting on a beach in just a swim suit. Such a cool, unique experience.

Tomorrow we're going to Waitomo, which is a place with a network of underground caves. I'm doing a 5 hour 'experience' (don't know what else to call it). During the 5 hours we do whitewater rafting, abseiling, rock climbing and look at the glow worms. There are apparently a ton of glow worms everywhere in the caves. Can't wait for it.

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