I knew I wanted to get out of Auckland for the weekend, but also wanted to be back Sat. afternoon for the rugby game I had tickets to. So I reserved a car for Friday and then tried to figure out exactly where I was going and who (if anyone) I was going with. Friday morning there was still a chance this would be a solo trip, which is the risk I ran for impulsive renting. As I was walking to pick up the car, Margaux and Colleen decided they were interested in tagging along.
Coromandel is the destination I decided on. The base of the peninsula is only 1.5 hours from Auckland and there are plenty of awesome sights there. Originally, I planned on making the 8 hour hike to Pinnacles, which offers views of the entire peninsula from the summit. As we drew closer to Coromandel, I realized we were going to be too pressed for time to enjoy the hike, and we had to decide on another option. I had remembered reading about Hot Water Beach in a guidebook. There is a small area on the beach where a hot springs seeps up, and with a little digging a personal hot tub can be made. We had to drive over the mountain range in the center of the peninsula, and watching vehicles come around turns from the left side of the road is unsettling.
The weather had been fantastic up to this point, but from the mountains onward it was very wet and dreary. We went to the hot beach regardless, and hadn't packed any digging tool for the visit. We found the hot spot, and it was painfully hot if not mixed with ocean water coming in.
Our gameplan after this involved finding somewhere to dry off for the night, hopefully near Cathedral Cove. We planned on waking early and getting to the cove before the masses. Good weather would be a plus. We managed to get the last room in a backpackers in Hahei and our luck was improving. The next morning was free of clouds and the car park was nearly empty when we arrived at the start of the Cathedral Cove walk. The walk is only 30 minutes one way and had some nice views, but we were amazed when we stepped on the beach and saw Cathedral Cove.
We walked around and enjoyed the scenery, took a swim in the ocean, and found the small waterfall that runs onto the beach. I could have spent a few more hours there, but the rugby game was calling and the beach had started to fill up with visitors after a time. However, for a near hour it felt like we were the first to ever see it. Relaxing and unreal.Note: I've heard Cathedral Cove is in the opening of one of the Chronicles of Narnia movies, but haven't watched them.
Cool!!
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