Cathedral Cove & Ohakune - Day 4

Today the weather was cloudy with sunny intervals, perfect for visiting Cathedral Cove in the far north of the Coromandel Peninsula. For breakfast, we stopped at 'Two Sides Bakery' in Tairua - highly recommended, even though breakfast cost us 50 NZ dollars (which is a certain standard price for an external breakfast for 2 people here in New Zealand, as of March 5th). Upon arrival at the parking lot, we realized that we still had about 1 1/2 hours of walking ahead of us before reaching Cathedral Cove. The path was not easy... but with magnificent views!! Halfway there was also a memorial forest commemorating the First World War, which also cost New Zealand lives.

The arch with a view of the lonely rock of Cathedral Cove was impressive. Compared to Helgoland's lonely, red, distinctly textured rock, at least for Jörg :), the 'Lange Anna' in the north of New Zealand is much more impressive. The beach and the sea were inviting for a leisurely stroll. This place had a very relaxed atmosphere, despite the many tourists :)) We could have gone for a swim if the Baywatch had been staffed. So we strolled through the water along the beach, discovered a cave and after about an hour we made our way back. Along the way, we enjoyed the numerous flights of stairs once again!!

After arriving at the parking lot, it was early afternoon and we set off towards our next accommodation in Ohakune in the Tongariro National Park! The GPS showed us a travel time of nearly 5 hours :-O However, we still visited the Café Colenso, Coco & Basti's secret tip! Great garden area and delicious cake, top tip, thank you both!! And here's a tip from us: Even if it's only cloudy in NZ, use sunscreen and wear a sun hat, right Jörg ;-)

On the way, we also encountered oversized sheep sculptures. Otherwise, on our journey from Coromandel Forest Park past Hamilton to Whakamaru, one farm followed another. There were lots of cows and "maize" to see, and occasionally small rustic towns in the style of Tairua. They reminded us of American villages from the 1950s! Pretty cool :))) We were also transported back to the wild 50s by the farm villas and level crossings :)) We also stopped at some scenic lookouts, which delighted us with fascinating views!

We arrived at our accommodation at 9 pm. We were warmly greeted by Julie and Wayne and invited for a cup of tea. Afterwards, we quickly packed our backpacks for the upcoming three-day hike (wuup wuup!!).