Hot Water Beach, Coromandel

Only a few miles away from Cathedral Cove is Hot Water Beach, a place that is both quintessentially and uniquely Kiwi. A thermal vent heats water that then bubbles up into the sand at low tide. You dig a properly located hole in the beach's gray sand, and, voila! your own hot tub! The tubs, so to speak, can be any size, just solo, or several of your friends. The trick is proper location. The hot water is really hot, scalding hot, so you want to be adjacent to the vent area--there were only two the afternoon we were there--close enough to get some heat, but not close enough to get burnt. Too far away and you're just sitting in beach water and sand. Ick. Further, you need to construct your tub so that it can withstand errant incoming waves. We saw many fine tubs breached and demolished by the waves. Then you have to dig a new one. (Local vendors rent little spades). Further, understand you are not the only person there. You are one of hundreds, even on a week-day in the off-season. It's quintessentially Kiwi, and the population center of the nation is just a couple hours away. See illustrations.

Hot Water Beach, an hour before low tide, on a slow day

The first people there, I suppose, have to dig several trial holes to find the right spots

While Vicki looked for a spot, I documented the event

One of the hot streams; notice no one is standing in it; nearly boiling I would
guess

Closer up

A perfect specimen...but on closer examination, you see the steam and bubbles
rising and notice no one is within even six feet of this hole

We nosed around for a while; a nice man from Worcestershire offered to share his tub (he'd been to Yellowstone) but before we could say thanks, an errant wave destroyed his creation. We noticed further that there were no beach showers nearby, that one gets really covered in grey sand and muck doing this, that the prospect of getting scalded was significant, that fighting the waves and tides was pretty futile, and, most importantly, that we had neglected to wear swimsuits and bring a shovel. We also remembered that we had spent the past two evenings soaking in crystal clear and clean thermal waters, without risk nor toil nor degradation, and maybe that was good enough. We took our pictures and proceeded on.

Cathedral Cove, Coromandel

When we did the North Island in 2008, we skipped the Coromandel peninsula entirely. Too many other things to see and a boat to catch for South Island and reservations for the Abel Tasman tramp. We have a bit more time now and so wanted to make sure we saw what is one of the North Island's premier destinations, and especially its Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.

Islands all over the Pacific coast here

Thus

And thus; bird sanctuaries, many of them, all in a marine reserve

The big arch at Cathedral Cove; we never did find the cathedral; maybe it's only
a high-tide cathedral

Cave in the arch

A flotilla of kayaks approaches, and I am thinking Abel Tasman definitely has a
rival here, plus it's warm and sunny and the water is nearly warm and there are no
sand flies...

The larger beach beyond the arch

Fun in the sun

Sun worshipper; I bet she was taking a picture of a topless guy

Very neat place

Tauranga And Mt. Maunganui

We proceeded on, to Tauranga, on the Bay of Plenty, where we found one of our best campsites yet, Fernland Spa. A mineral, thermal-type spa, not really a campground at all, but which permits tenters and RVs, with the usual amenities. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. Next day we went into Tauranga and then spent the afternoon at the beach at Mt. Maunganui. And then went back for another night at the spa.

The big pool at Fernland Spa; 40 degrees centigrade, all natural

The private rooms; big enough to swim laps; $7 per 30 minutes
for us seniors

Mt. Maunganui Beach

Up closer

Natural habitat for this species

Mt. Maunganui itself

More beach, islands, Bay of Plenty

Other side of the little 3-block wide peninsula: harbor of
plenty

Our site at the beautifully-landscaped Fernland Spa

Only problem was, the dew was so heavy it literally poured
off our tent fly

Wairere Falls

After Hobbiton, we headed back toward the Pacific coast, stopping for a hike up to view Wairere Falls, the North Island's tallest, at 155m. The walk took us through now sub-tropical forest, along a torrent, up a canyon, to the look-out on a cliff opposite the falls. Palms of one sort or another are now common in the forests as are the parasites one sees on nearly any tree of age. After Fiordland and the South Island, it seems like a riot of bio-diversity.

Hobbiton Signage

Signage is often of interest, at least to me, and some of the Hobbiton signage, particularly at the Green Dragon, was quite amusing...