Coromandel Peninsula (NZL)

13.10.2019 - 16.10.2019

Coromandel Peninsula is a peninsula on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is best known for Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.

These two attractions are also the reason why I made my way to Coromandel.

I chose the town of Whitianga as a base for the trip there, as it is nearby and easily accessible by InterCity.

Getting to the attractions turned out to be more difficult than expected. Originally, I had planned to rent a bike to get there. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. Wind and rain were forecasted for the two days I was there (and it happened). Of course, there is no public transportation there either.

So, in the morning, I went to the iSite (tourist information) and inquired about the possibilities of getting there. Given the weather (it was already stormy that morning), the woman there could only recommend a shuttle and arranged the 'cheapest' one for me.

A bit unsure if everything would work out, I set off to the agreed meeting point two hours later (taking the ferry to the other side of the bay). And it actually worked out well. Nick, the owner of the shuttle service (Sandshifters), arrived punctually at the meeting point. Then we headed to Hot Water Beach. I was the only passenger at first, but that quickly changed when we picked up a German hitchhiker.

At Hot Water Beach, you can dig a hole in the sand during low tide, and it fills up with hot water from below, creating a pool on the beach.

Nick had a spade with him and quickly built a pool (he does this often and has a great technique for it), and the water that seeped up from the sand was incredibly hot. On this cold day, it was perfect for warming up my feet :)

Afterwards, we continued to Cathedral Cove. Cathedral Cove is a cave or passage in a rock that has the shape of a cathedral. The cave connects two beaches.

At the parking lot, Nick dropped us off, and from there, it's about a half-hour walk to Cathedral Cove.

The weather had held up until now, but while we were at the cave, it started to rain heavily. So, we decided to call Nick to get back to Whitianga. On the way up to the parking lot, it stopped raining again (if we had known, we would have stayed a bit longer...)

So, we went back to the dock and then took the ferry back to Whitianga.

Conclusion: A very nice trip. I was lucky with the weather - rain was actually forecasted, but except for the short downpour at Cathedral Cove, it was dry. In the late afternoon and the next day, it rained heavily. Experiencing the hot water at Hot Water Beach was also a fortunate coincidence due to the strong wind. The best thing is that I didn't have to pay anything in the end, so I had a free shuttle ride :)