Cathedral Cove

Good morning, dear friends, 

it is currently 9 AM and I am once again sitting in my hammock writing you about some of my adventures. At the beginning of November, I had a long weekend and 3 days off due to a shift swap. To make good use of this time, I grabbed Fridolin-Christopher and we drove to the Coromandel Peninsula together. Here, I spent two nights at the Top 10 campground and explored the sights of the peninsula. 

So, I drove out for 3 hours and the first stop I made was Hot Water Beach. A beach where there is a geothermal spring and visitors can dig their own little spa with a small shovel, because when the right spring is found and enough sand has been dug away, hot water flows directly into the little sand pool. The challenge, however, is that the water temperature can change from very hot to very cold in the blink of an eye. In short, it's a total gamble. Also, the beach was so crowded, and everyone was so eager to dig that there was no suitable place where I felt comfortable. So I sat a bit further out and watched the spectacle from a safe distance, as I had no desire to mingle with the crowd. Unfortunately, there are no photos of this, as I left my phone at the campground.

After that, I went back to camp for a quiet evening in order to wake up in the dark the next morning and catch the sunrise with a kayak. My goal: Cathedral Cove. A cave that was also used for the filming of Narnia. There is also a hiking trail to this beach or cave (about 45 min), but it was damaged in the big storms last year and was closed until further notice. This means that this place is only accessible by kayak. And the earlier the hour, the fewer people - so I decided to be the first one and rented a kayak for 6 AM. After a bit of confusion and taking a while to wake up the kayak rental owner, I got my kayak and slowly walked to the beach with it.

I caught the sunrise and paddled through the marine reserve with the first rays of sunlight. The sea was beautifully calm, making the paddling a real dream. I could sometimes see down to the bottom as the water was so clear. On the way to the cave, I paddled along the cliffs and made a stop in different bays, including Stingray Bay, where I could observe 3 rays sunbathing.

After about an hour of paddling, observing, and enjoying, I finally reached Cathedral Cove and landed. I was the only person around and thoroughly enjoyed the view and the tranquility. I also walked along the beach and got a closer look at the cave and the beach behind it. It was simply a dream to be here without other people!

The beach was reopened in December and the hiking trail was repaired. I saw half photos and videos, and there were people like sardines on this beach. I was really lucky not to have to share this paradise with other people and am so glad to have been there before the reopening. I lay alone on the beach, called my family and friends briefly, and as soon as the first kayakers and kayaking groups arrived, I grabbed my kayak and paddled back.

Maybe, and just maybe, I did something quite silly while paddling back and the kayak tipped over with a larger wave and me in it. Well, I had almost expected something like this and was equipped with my dry bag and other gadgets to avoid a bigger disaster.

On the way back, I also got a visit from a school of blue snappers in one of the bays, which I attracted with a noise from my hand, amplified by the hollow body of the kayak. It was sooooooo cool to see the blue color on the fins of the fish and how curiously they swam up to the kayak. I also had my (Felix) GoPro with me and one of the fish tried to eat it. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful, but perfect for my photos.

In the end, I safely returned to the rental and spent the rest of the day relaxing, interestingly meeting two Tyroleans in the attached hot pool from the campground. The two came from Kufstein and were on vacation in New Zealand. We had a nice chat and soon it was time for bed.

The next day I decided on a little hike in the New Zealand bush. More on that in the next post.

Your Britta