11/12/2017 - Cathedral Cove & Hot Water Beach

After yesterday's day wasn't all that spectacular due to thick rain clouds, the weather promised to be better today. Our next destination was Hahei.

Above Hahei is one of the most visited places in New Zealand. Because we had a longer journey from Coromandel Town, we had to get up early! After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the parking lot at around 8:45 am. Fortunately, there wasn't much going on yet and we were able to find a parking space at the beginning of the track. This small parking lot is full by 10:00 am at the latest, and there are only further parking options in Hahei. From there, it is a much longer way to 'Cathedral Cove'.
Well prepared, we could start the 45-minute hike from the small parking lot. The trail is very well developed and leads along the coast. On the way to the cove, there are further junctions to smaller coves that we will visit on the way back. Even though we met a few tourists on the way back, we hoped that the big rush would only come later. When we arrived at the beach, our plan worked perfectly. Only a few other visitors were already at Cathedral Cove. This allowed us to take pictures in peace and have a clear view of the different photo opportunities.

The 'Cathedral Cave' is a natural tunnel in the middle of a rock. The tidal waves created this cathedral-like, pointed shape.
Depending on the tide, you can cross the tunnel either dry or wet.

When we arrived, we were lucky and could enter and admire the cave without getting wet. It offered one of the most beautiful photo opportunities in the country. From this dark cave, you have a view of a bright sandy beach, turquoise blue sea, and a strangely shaped rock - an absolute postcard motif.
On the other side of the 'Cave', we sat down on a rock and ate our breakfast, which we had prepared in the morning hours. With a view of Cathedral Cove, we quickly realized that it was getting busier with time.
Well strengthened, we explored the rest of the beach.

The Cathedral Cove connects two beaches - Mare's Leg Cove and Cathedral Cove.

After visiting the Cathedral Cove, we went back through the cave to Mare's Leg Cove. On the edge of this bay, we discovered a small cave that had formed in the mountain. The tide was coming and Tobi managed to enter it in his shoes without getting wet after several attempts. But there was no suitable opportunity for me, so I was forced to take off my shoes. When I was finally able to scurry into the small shelter, we enjoyed the pleasantly cool air. But the tide did not stop and it was clearly visible that more and more water was flowing into the cave. Therefore, we decided to leave the little shelter again.
At the same end of the beach, we also discovered a 'natural shower'. A thin waterfall trickled down from the cliffs. But at this moment, no one else except seagulls and other birds used this refreshment.
After thoroughly examining the entire location, we headed back. As mentioned before, there are smaller junctions on the way to the parking lot. Two of these hiking trails lead to secluded coves. There was significantly less going on on both paths. This allowed us to enjoy the small beaches almost without any other visitors.
When we reached the parking lot and drove away, we made the driver of a green car very, very happy.

Our next destination was Hahei Beach. We walked along the beach and discovered a swing at the northern end. Observant blog readers know what's coming ;) ... yippee! - Of course, we swung a few rounds. With a view of the sea, we felt a sense of freedom, fun, and contentment.

Now we drove to the next campground, which is located at 'Hot Water Beach'. After conjuring up a dinner, the day was not yet coming to an end. We went to the reception desk to borrow a shovel. Armed with this, we set off to the beach around 7:00 pm. But we didn't come to build sandcastles. The special feature of this beach is underground volcanic activities that heat up the groundwater. This offers the chance to build your own pool two hours before and after low tide. Take the shovel and dig a hole in the sand. If you hit a warm vein, the water in the self-built pools is warm to hot.
At the beginning, we had some difficulties. The section of the beach was already well filled and we tried to build a small pool at the edge. Unfortunately, the hot spring we discovered was not enough to warm up our pool. So we sat for a while in our not even lukewarm water. Right next to us, a French family dug their pool and after testing it, we unfortunately had to realize that their pool was much warmer than ours. We were already considering returning to the campground, but we didn't want to let it sit. So we went in search of another hot spring and found one. After a few trial digs, it was clear - this is a place to stay. Motivated, we dug our next pool. The result was impressive - pleasantly large and filled with hot thermal water. Overjoyed and satisfied, we enjoyed the time in our pool. This is exactly how we imagined it - watching the sunset in a hot pool with a view of the sea. Eventually, Tobi became too warm and regularly cooled off in the ocean. 'So refreshing.'
When it was already dark and the experts had unpacked their candles, we reluctantly decided to walk back to the campground. We quickly jumped under the ice-cold shower and our exciting day ended around 10:30 pm.