Today we finally experienced a taste of New Zealand’s natural beauty. We drove 3hrs from Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsula in search of the infamous Hot Water Beach. Along the way we saw beautiful flowing hills filled with sheep and cattle grazing then twisted up the tropical mountains along the edge of cliffs with breathtaking views that could rival the Cabot Trail.
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Rolling sheep filled hills in the countryside |
P.S. Mom I wasn’t driving this fast in real life, Jordan sped up the video 🙂 After making that many hair pinned turns I was pretty comfortable with the whole driving on the left hand side thing.
Jordan and I chose to dig ours by hand as it was much more fun and fulfilling than using a rented shovel. Within a few minutes we had a steaming oasis where we laid in the pool and enjoyed the crisp Spring day. We actually picked the perfect spot as one side seeped scalding hot lava water, while the other cool ocean water, creating the perfect blend. We even sprinted into the ocean for a cool down before jumping back into our hot pool similar to the winter hot tub ritual at the Poste’s.
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Enjoying our personal salt water hot tub at Hot Water Beach |
After enjoying a few hours of heated sand bliss, we were off to Cathedral Cove just a few kilometers down the road in Hahei. Famous for its large naturally formed rock cathedral, the hike into the cove curved through the rainforest before dropping us into a beautiful cove. It felt like we were in the movie The Beach!
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Cathedral Cove |
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Cathedral Cove archway |
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First night camping |
Check out Episode 4: Departure, Cathedral Cove & Hot Water Beach
I have just read up to this blog and now I must comment …. the picture of the flowing hills and sheep brought me back to our time in New Zealand. Sam and I would walk each morning from Mary and Antony's home and would so enjoy the same beauty. I love your blog … thanks Ivan Millen for saying how fun it is to read. It is now on my list :))<br /><br />Janet and Sam
I totally copied this itinerary. You do such a great job …. way better than lonely planet or any other website.
So glad you got to experience this and had such a great time 🙂