Cathedral Cove, Stingray Bay, Gemstone Bay

After we left Hot Water Beach we went to Cathedral Cove, a huge famous stone arch.  The cliffs are made of ignimbrite, a white rock formed from pumice and ash that was erupted millions of years ago.  Because this rock is quite soft it is easily eroded by the wind and water.  

 

The walk from the car park was to take about 45 minutes and the walk was great.  Along the way we got to see Gemstome Bay.  This pretty little rocky bay that was nestled down some stairs close to the car park.  At this bay we saw several groups of people snorkeling and the cool thing was that it is set up with buoys that had pictures and information on them.  This way you could learn about what you were seeing in the water as your snorkeled.  I thought it was a very clever idea but we had limited time and no gear so we didn’t snorkel or swim.  

  Then we went to Stingray Bay, a bay where the stingrays like to gather in the warm shallow water.  We even saw several stingrays in the water and swimming around.  

  

Next we went to Cathedral Cove and took pictures.  It was roped off and had an exclamation mark on a sign.  So we went in, though I knew it meant potential danger I chose to think that it meant excitement.  So through we went, and nothing bad happened.

 

We ended the day going to a tiny winery, a little restaurant for pizza (Laura and I split the Triple P pizza.  It had shrimp, pesto, pepperoni, and more on it), playing on the rope swings by the beach, and watching the sunset.  It was an amazing day that I will never forget!    

Morning Walk and Hot Water Beach

When we woke up on Saturday morning the weather was less than favorable, and we were a bit nervous about what we were in for considering in a few hours we would be going to Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove.  We ate breakfast and decided to do a walk, to the lookout that our hostel suggested.  

 

We walked up to this lookout and it was beautiful.  When we got back down we went back to our hostel and got ready to leave.  Coromandel Adventures pick us up and we were on our way for the day.  Coromandel Adventures is a new business and has only been operating for seven weeks.  They were great; we did several things through them throughout the weekend and had a great experience. 

 

On the way to Hot Water Beach we drove over we learned that for two hours on either side of low tide you can dig a hole in part of the sand, in front of a rocky area where hot water oozes up from beneath the surface.  It is like a natural spa pool.  We arrived walked down what seemed to be an almost deserted beach until the middle where all of a sudden it was packed, this was the spot.  Several of us on the tour dug a hole, ran into the ocean and then back to the hot water pool.  Our hole was right by the hottest spring but it was good because we were near the ocean so we had a good mix of hot and cool.  The group we were with for they day was full of fun people so that made it even better. 

   

Then after spending about two hours at Hot Water Beach we headed off to Cathedral Cove.  More about that tomorrow.      

Coromandel

 On Friday right after school on of the other teachers who lives closer to downtown dropped us off for the ferry.  When we got to town we stopped at a camera shop because I am sad to report my camera got wet (or soaked) when I slipped off a rock last weekend at Goat Island and landed in the ocean.  That sounds way worse than it was, don’t worry I am just fine I didn't get hurt, not even a scratch but my camera is now acting very temperamental.  I thought with so much traveling left to do and since I enjoy taking pictures so much not having a camera just would not do for me.  So I bit the bullet and bought a new camera, it is the same as my old one except several years and models newer.  And now I am happy to report after the weekend I am really enjoying my new camera and all of its fun features!  

 

After the camera shop we got on the ferry and started our two-hour journey to Coromandel.  The weather was not the best so neither was the ride and several people didn’t look so well when we finally arrived.  I thought it was a bit like going on the tummy ticklers up north.  

We arrived and Sonny picked everyone up, and took us to our accommodation at Anchor Lodge.  We checked in, walked around the town a bit.  We noticed that Anchor Lodge had a lot of time and sign problems.  You can see one example here of what we mean.  And signs like these were several feet apart and these were not the only ones.  Coromandel Town is just a small town that has kept its heritage buildings.  We saw a lot of cute little shops that we made note of visiting the following morning.  

Then we went to bed to prepare for an exciting Saturday.  More soon about Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove!  But alas now I need to get to sleep.     

 

Goat Island Marine Reserve

On Sunday Storm and Sarah took Laura and I to Goat Island.  It was a great day with sunny hot weather!!!  This was New Zealand’s first marine reserve established 1975.  This is a small island very close to the shore (you can swim to it).  The reason most people go to this area is because the water is so incredibly clear and you can scuba dive and snorkel directly from the beach.  On the drive to the island we went through a tunnel and saw these public toilets in a little town we drove through.    

When we got there we parked, took some pictures, from above and then headed to the beach to claim a spot.  I went to test the water and I decided that it wasn’t too bad.  Laura tested the water and said it was unbearable, so she rented a wetsuit.  

Then we ate lunch, walked around a bit, and hit the water.  It was cold at first but once you were in it wasn’t bad.  The water was as clear as they said.  It was so cool because there were lots of different colors of corals and sponges.  We saw a lot of different fish, and we even got to see a manta ray.  I still hadn’t received the camera case that I ordered so you will just have to take my word on this one but it was amazing!!!!

After snorkeling for nearly an hour we headed back to shore to dry off.  With the last bit of time we had at the beach we walked the other way.  The coastline was very neat because it was a huge cliff, a skinny beach, and then they water.  We also got to see these birds, and on the way back the ones with the orange beak attacked us.  We ended that day with an ice cream and headed home.