It was a 7+ hour drive from Wanganui to the Coromandel Peninsula to visit a most lovely vacation area of this beautiful country. It's been on our list of places to visit since arriving in country and, with a promising weather forecast, we made a last minute decision to make it happen. We were able to rent a great holiday home in Hahei near two must-see sights: Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.
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| Sunrise view from Hahei |
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| View of Hahei from our front porch |
We enjoyed our hike to Cathedral Cove.
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| View from the Cathedral Cove trailhead |
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| Julia is ready to do some tramping! |
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| Getting closer? |
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| Hmmmm... |
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| This "cathedral" was amazing! |
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Another picturesque beach…
they ALL are in New Zealand |
"Some volcanos develop huge underground reservoirs of superheated water. Over time, this water will escape to the surface — cooling on the way. There are two fissures at Hot Water Beach issuing water as hot as 64ºC (147ºF) at a rate as high as 15 litres/minute. This water contains large amounts of salt (NOT salt water), calcium, magnesium, potassium, fluorine, bromine and silica. There are other hot water springs nearby but the location of these two springs on the beach make them unique."
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| We've got the equipment - we're ready to dig our spa! |
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| A perfect way to spend the morning |
We took the ferry over to Whitianga for dinner and a beautiful sunset.
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Waiting for the five minute ferry ride that
saved us 45 minutes of driving. |
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The ferry ride proved to be interesting and longer than
expected due to a rescue of a paddler and
his overturned kayak halfway across! |
On our way home on Sunday, we stopped in Thames to meet the Gackles from Sioux Falls and get a tour of their town.
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The garden where Cheryl volunteers is
a lovely place to spend some time. |
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| A feijoa on the tree |
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| Banana tree |
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| A prized red pineapple |
On our way home we couldn't resist a stop in Paeroa, to see the home of L&P, a delicious fizzy drink that is "World Famous in New Zealand!"
Strong work on the hot water time and rough water rescue! Phenomenal trip/love the post...
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