Coromandel, the western region of Northern Island of New Zealand is known for its pristine beaches and tropical forest landscapes.
Upon landing at #Auckland International Airport, we hit the road and started driving towards the eastern peninsula of #Coromandel via HWY 1 and HWY 25. This is one of the most scenic drives of the northern island, where the winding roads pass through the Kauaeranga Valley, which displays New Zealand's beauty of tropical rainforests, tall native fern trees and breathtaking coastal landscapes.
The drive gets increasingly steeper as we reached closer to the peninsula, but just when we touched the clouds on the mountains, we saw the blue ocean on the other side. The road that takes down to the beaches goes through beautiful valley that has many wineries and orchards since this area receives lots of rain and sunshine at the same time.
Shakespeare Cliff Scenic Reserve:
After 13 hour flight, we decided to keep the day a bit lighter in activities and hence started our day with a scenic overlook point ‘Shakespeare Cliff Scenic Reserve’. We took about two and half hour to reach our first destination. The point sits on a top of a hill giving panoramic views of the ocean and the crescent-shaped Cooks beach. Note that there are limited parking spots, however a late afternoon/evening visit may be quite open.
We learnt that with more hours on hand, the Shakespeare Cliff to Lonely Bay Walk is a good 3 km return loop in this area. This walk will lead you to the golden sands and rocky formations in the bay.
Cathedral Cove:
10 mins south from the Shakespeare Cliff overlook point is the most visited spot in the #Waitomo areas called Cathedral Cove, also known as Te Whanganui-A-Hei in Maori (native language of the original inhabitants of the island).
Given the attention this spot has received in past few years, there is no parking at the location. There is a dedicated car park area 10 mins away from the entry point at Hahei Visitor car park. There are shuttle services ($10 NZD round trip pp; cash preferred) from the car park to the destination every 20 mins. The last shuttle from the visitor centre back to the car park is at 5:45 pm so plan your visit accordingly else you will need to walk about 2 km back to your car.
Cliffs along this coast are made of white rocks which are quiet soft and are eroded over the last millions of years shaping into a triangular stone cave known as Cathedral cove. It is best to visit when the tides are low; giving you access to cross the cove and walk on the beach.
The cove itself is accessible only by a boat, kayak or a short walk. We decided to walk down the track. From the location where the bus drops, the cove and the beach is located at about 40 min walk.
There are multiple overlook points of the Pacific ocean. The entire trip to the cove and back will take around 2-3 hours. This being our first walk of the NZ road trip; holds a special attachment of walking through pastures, shrublands and dense rainforests. It is an easy walk just with few steep stairs at the tail end leading to the beach.
Hot Water Beach:
Driving south on the same coast, our next destination was a geothermal wonder located at the Mercury bay called, Hot Water Beach. At this beach; there are naturally occuring hot water springs underneath the beach that filter up to the top of the sand.
Wondering if that means digging your personal hot water spa on the beach? That is exactly true. Within two hours on either side of the high tide, when ocean water recedes enough to expose the beach surface, you find people digging the sand to spring up the underlying hot water, thereby forming geothermal hot pools. Since we went on a late evening we found already dug pools, else one can rent a spade from one of the cafes (Hotties Cafe, Hot Waves Cafe, Moko Artspace and the Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park) near the beach.
The beach and the the mud pools are open to public and are not managed by anyone. So be careful and check the temperatures before you dip your feet in. The water temperatures can go as high as 60 Celcius. This spot has recently become a tourist favorite and hence be ready to share your pools with other travelers.
Beach side hot water spa was a great experience and a perfect way to end your day soaking in natural hot waters!
~ Nomadic Traveler ~
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