Auckland-Coromandel -Mt Maunganui- Rotorua -Otaki
Trip Start
Dec 27, 2010
1
3
22
Trip End
Ongoing
Otaki Beach, Wellington, New Zealand
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
We drove our Van, previously named "Van", and now named "Morrison". He took us up the Coromandel Peninsula, which is a popular summer destination, especially around the New Years Holiday. We drove through mountains, along curvy roads with no guard rails. We had amazing views of the ocean and decided to camp out for a few nights along the beach in various locations.
We visited Hot Water Beach, where you can hire a spade (shovel) and dig yourself a hole where there is extremely hot water pumping up from the sand. Then it was off to Cathedral Cove for an hour hike through the mountains...once we reached the other side we were sitting on a white sand beach with beautiful blue waters. We walked through the cove, which is posted as no entrance recommended due to falling rocks, but everyone walks through the small opening anyways. The beach on the other side was less packed.
The next day we spent along another beach along the Bay of Plenty. We found the perfect place for Morrison to park and could lay in our bed and see the ocean. We relaxed on the beach, updated our journals, made great food, played guitar, and called it an early night.
Then we headed to a small town call Kawerau, at a locals' recommendation. There was a FREE public pool, the only free pool in all NZ. We bathed and enjoyed a shower that morning! Then we hit up the local brewery, Mata, for some tastings. It was a very small brewery, but good to find decent beer here finally!
We drove on to Rotorua that day, with a stop at a thermal hot spring spa for $18/person. The spa (Polynesian Spa) was located right along the shores of Lake Rotorua. We had a great view of the mountains and lake while sitting in pools ranging from 38-42 degrees Cel. We had a second shower that day which was not expected at all!
We drove south that evening and parked along a rest area right near the Huka Falls. In the morning we hiked along the falls, and we both realized that during our individual trips (7-9 years ago), we both had visited Huka Falls! It was still a great place to see. The water was crytal white, blue, and aqua in color. Probably the prettiest colored water that I have ever seen. After our hike, we soaked along the river in a thermal area. Boy were we lucky to get so many "showers" in a 24 hr period.
In the evening we wanted to try to make it all the way to Wellington, a five hour drive. We decided to drive four hours and stop at the Otaki Beach instead. It was a nice family beach area, similar to the OBX of North Carolina. Not built up along the beach, with a real family feel. Another early night and we would be off to Wellington for the day!
