As we drove up the west coast of the Coramandel Peninsular through Thames and on to the town of Coromandel, the road hugged the coast with another pretty bay after each headland, one called Thornton Bay. We then cut inland, over the peninsula to Whitianga.
Our next stop is Hahei Holiday Resort complete with all mod cons and our pitch overlooking the sea and Mahurangi Island.
This was our base for three nights as we enjoyed the warm sunny weather, explored the nearby coast and continued to cook up home fare on our 2-ring cooker
One day we left the beach at Hahei …
… and climbed up over the headland, under a canopy of tree ferns, with great views out to sea and of Stingray Bay below.
We descended into Mare’s Leg Cove …
… and through the impressive rock arch to Cathedral Cove where we swam to cool off, then returned by water taxi.
Having checked out the tide tables, later we headed off to Hot Water Beach, probably the most touristy ‘hot spot’ on the Coromandel Peninsula! Hot springs bubble up through the sand a couple of hours each side of low tide and you can bring a shovel and dig your own personal spa to enjoy the experience. When we mentioned to Wilderness we were coming this way, they kindly gave us a shovel returned by previous travellers. We arrived early and started digging, but it soon got really busy, everyone thoroughly enjoying the unique experience. In some places, especially at one end of our spa, the water seeping in was too hot to sit in, and as we watched we saw steam rising elsewhere.
Our last excursion was in the footsteps of Captain Cook, as just along the coast at Cooks Beach he effectively claimed New Zealand for King George III in 1769, and remained anchored here for 12 days to observe the transit of Mercury which established the exact position of this new land.
The nearby Shakespeare Lookout provided a great view, although any suggestion the cliff matched the Bard’s profile seems a little far-fetched.
From the top we saw Lonely Bay, a secluded sandy spot great for a cooling swim after our walk.
On the way back we saw a sign helpfully pointing us in the right direction, just in case!
Late afternoon was spent chilling on Hahei beach, and it was time to be thinking of moving on in the morning towards gold country.
Off Travelling Together 