Adventures on the Coromandel Peninsula
The weather in Auckland was wet and dreary. It had been wet and dreary for weeks. In fact it had rained so much that we had to detour to our rental because there was a slip (landslide for us westerners) on the road to Whitianga. This added an extra hour and a half to our drive but thankfully Rachel was driving the wet, winding roads with no shoulders and steep drop offs!
Day One- Jan. 12
Undaunted by the drizzly weather, we were determined to have an adventure. Our first stop was a wonderful little restaurant on the harbor for breakfast of course.
Kauri Forest and Waiau Falls and Much More
The Kauri Trees once covered most of the Coromandel Peninsula. They are magnificent trees, living up to 1000 years and growing to towering heights with trunks up to 2 meters wide. They were highly desired for construction and sailing masts so these beautiful forests were decimated by the Europeans.
The remaining tracts are now protected to preserve the few remaining trees.
To learn more about this rare and beautiful tree, check out this site: Kauri Forest.
The gravel road to the forest preserve was not without it's challenges. Wet and slippery with slips along the way made for a slow and muddy journey. Rachel was up to the challenge though, and got us to the trail head safely.
The journey was well worth it. The forest was impressive. The trees magnificent. I will post a link to all of our pictures at the Kauri Forest and Waiau Falls at the end of the post, but here are a few teasers.
From the Kauri forest we ventured on down the road to visit the picturesque Waiau Falls. It was a lovely spot.
The weather looked like it might be going south for a couple of hours so instead of heading to our next outdoor activity we made a detour to the Mercury Bay Winery for a wine tasting break. The rain never did come but we managed to enjoy our indoor activity anyway.
Hot Water Beach
We managed to tear ourselves away from the winery because everyone was excited to visit hot water beach. Hot water beach is an iconic destination in the area. The beach area is rich with underlying hot springs and at low tide you can dig yourself a hole which theoretically fills with the hot water from the ground and you can bask in the warm waters of the earth.
Yes I said theoretically. We tried our darndest. The hot springs were there, the tide receded, but the surf was just way too high. Berms were made, hot water filled them up, but then a rogue wave would wipe everyone's hard work away. We did manage to sit in warm water and fill our suits with sand though!
Day 2- 13th Cathedral Cove and New Chum Beach
Everyone who has a Microsoft product has seen a picture of Cathedral Cove at some time. It is one of their stock pictures. Well to view Cathedral Cove is quite an adventure. If you walk from the Hahei beach it was a beautiful hike, although a bit challenging for us out of shape old folks. The scenery along the track was beautiful, and once we arrived, the cove was very intimate and cozy and the Cathedral arch did not disappoint. We planned on taking the water taxi back to the beach so we didn't have to scale the trail back up to the car park, however the wind picked up, the swells got too big and the water taxi was cancelled for the day. Oh well, we persevered, and with many stops, managed to get back to the top. It was well worth the trip.
New Chum Beach
After Cathedral Cove we journeyed up to one of Rachel's favorite beaches. She was so excited to share this beautiful, secluded beach with us. It was a little bit of a hike, but she assured us it was well worth the trek. Wellll, she hadn't taken into account the torrential rains that had been plaguing the North Island. So not only did we have to traverse a treacherous stretch of rocks, but once we attained "dry" ground, the path was deadly muddy and slippery. Stubby and I were not backing off, but we did not argue with the girls when they finally decided that the path was too dangerous to continue (Phew)!
Stock photo of New Chum Beach
The day ended on a great note though. We stopped at Luke's Kitchen, an iconic eatery on the peninsula. Rachel had heard great things about the place and it did not disappoint. Great atmosphere and great food.
Love following your adventures! Sandi
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