Coromandel Peninsula

On the morning of January 8th, after breakfast in the car (because it was too cold), we drove to Thames. This small town is located on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula and is considered the capital of the region, according to the travel guide. Unfortunately, the weather on this morning was not as great as we had hoped and we weren't sure what to do. So we went to the i-site to get some information. There, we also inquired about Hot Water Beach on the east coast, which we had read about and really wanted to visit. Unfortunately, it seems you have to watch the tide and a visit is only worth it 2 hours before and after low tide. However, low tide was already at 8 am that day, so we wouldn't have made it to the beach in time. The second low tide of the day would be at 10 pm, so we could go there at 8 pm. So we decided to visit the beach in the evening, even though the original plan was to continue driving south by then.

In Thames itself, we took a look at some of the old wooden houses and walked along the coast to a bird watching hut. However, there was nothing going on and hardly any birds to be seen, so we got back in the car and continued driving. Heading north, there was a great road right along the coast and we drove for about an hour. Then we turned right inland and followed a gravel road through the mountains. Thank goodness we took out the all-inclusive insurance and were allowed to drive on gravel roads! The route through the mountains was beautiful and there were great views into the valley. We stopped once and walked up a small path to a Square Kauri, a big tree that is typical for the region but is threatened by a disease and therefore not often found anymore. The forest was a real rainforest and from the small observation platform next to the Square Kauri, we had a great view of the greenery and the many ferns.

After probably another hour of driving on the extremely winding gravel road, we reached the west coast of the peninsula and took the road towards Hahei, where we wanted to visit Cathedral Cove. We didn't get very far on the paved road when suddenly our van started shaking quite strongly and we pulled over. What happened? A flat tire. Great. Before we could change it, we had to move the car a bit further off the road and onto somewhat level ground. Finding level ground was a bit difficult though because there was only dirt and rocks on the side of the road. We managed somehow. When we picked up the campervan, the staff member also said a few words about changing tires, so at least we knew where the tire changing instruction, the spare tire, and the tools were located. The difficult part now was understanding the English instructions with all the technical terms, getting the tire out from under the car without squishing ourselves, and lifting the car up. But in the end, everything worked out, we mounted the spare tire, stored the tools again, and put the flat tire in the back of the car. And off we went!

Our next stop was the Park'n'Ride parking lot for Cathedral Cove. According to the parking attendant, the parking lot right where the walk to Cathedral Cove starts was way too small and already full at 9 am. That's why they have the Park'n'Ride place, where you can either walk uphill for half an hour to the beginning of the walk or take a bus for $5 per person. We thought it was a bit annoying that you are basically forced to pay these $5, but on the other hand, it's also good that they have this place and don't just allow tourists to park anywhere and walk. Before we set off, we had some food first (we were so hungry!) and called Spaceships to ask what we should do about our tire. After some back and forth, we were finally told to find a mechanic ourselves who would give us a new tire, pay in advance, and ask for the money back when we return the van. The whole thing was a bit annoying because it was Sunday and we couldn't look for a mechanic until the next day. With the spare tire, we also couldn't drive as fast or as far, so we decided not to drive any further after visiting Hot Water Beach. We would spend the night at the campsite near the beach.

Once the logistics were sorted, we went to the bus stop and a bus arrived right away that took us to the walk to Cathedral Cove. Thank goodness we didn't walk, the road was really steep! Once we reached the top of the hill, we enjoyed the view first and then started walking. The walk to the famous beach with the rock tunnel was 2.5 km long and took us up and down to the destination. Once there, we admired the beautiful surroundings and walked up and down the beach. The rock tunnel is really impressive and looks amazing! The other rocks on the beach are very picturesque as well. Unfortunately, it was already late and the sun had disappeared behind the rock wall, so it was too cold to swim. Instead, we sat on a rock for a while and then made our way back. The last bus back to the parking lot was about to leave at short to 6 and we wanted to catch it because we didn't feel like walking the section from the beginning of the walk to the parking lot as originally planned. In fact, we thought it would be too stressful to catch the bus because we wanted to spend more time at the beach. But since we didn't want to swim anyway and there wasn't much else to see, and the return trip was already included in the bus ticket, we decided to walked back in time to catch the bus.

After we arrived back at the Park'n'Ride parking lot, we got in the car and drove 10 minutes further to Hot Water Beach. We wanted to check in at the Holiday Park since it is within walking distance of Hot Water Beach and we wouldn't have to drive far after our visit. There were no cheaper or even free campsites nearby anyway, so we treated ourselves to this place where we could also take a warm shower. However, the price of $50 per night for an unpowered site really made us gulp. Really expensive!

After finding a spot on the field used by the Holiday Park for unpowered sites, we made ourselves some dinner. Around half past 8, we put on our swimsuits, borrowed a spade from reception, and walked to the beach. It was already quite crowded and we had to first orientate ourselves and find the best spots for a self-dug spa. After confiscating an abandoned water hole with surprisingly warm water and wanting to improve it, I discovered that the spots right by the sea were much nicer and, above all, had a direct inflow of the 60°C hot spring water under the sand. So we went to the front row and dug our own personal spa from scratch. When the hole was the right size and deep enough, we got in and couldn't believe how wonderfully warm the water was. Of course, we let it cool down a bit and didn't build a constant inflow because otherwise we would have scalded ourselves. However, we thought that we would probably get cold soon because the hole was very shallow due to the soft sand and it was slowly getting dark. But the water was so warm and we could constantly pour fresh hot water into our hole, so we were more hot than cold. It was simply beautiful and with the backdrop of the sea and the glowing moon, it was a very special experience. We were already looking forward to no annoying children being there so late in the evening, but we hadn't considered party-loving and screaming teenagers who entertained us from behind for about an hour. But oh well. Due to our good location, at least nobody bothered us from the front or obstructed our view.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally pulled ourselves together and walked back to the campsite. We had been in the water for at least 2 hours! After a cleansing shower (because you have sand everywhere...), we fell into bed and slept very well. The day was a rollercoaster of emotions, but in the end, it was definitely super beautiful!