As we approached the 4th day of our trip, we headed for the beautiful Coromandel Peninsular, home to some of the finest beaches in New Zealand. We have the option to spend some time at the beach or we can participate in various activities such as walking, swimming or kayaking to the famous Cathedral Cove. Needless to say, we opted for the kayaking activity. I must say that this was the best kayaking experience I've ever had. The view was awesome with clear blue sky above us and turquoise clear water before us.
Accessible only on foot, boat or kayak, the famous Cathedral Cove is one of the "must visit" sites on The Coromandel. It was given this name probably after the arch located there, linking Mare's Leg Cove to Cathedral Cove. Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay are also within the reserve. A walking track exists from the northern end of Hahei Beach, and it is also possible to walk from the top of the headland between Haihei and Gemstone Bay.
Our kayak was a guided one. We kayak based on the instruction of the guide and followed the guide toward the cove. The day was beautiful and the weather was perfect. The sea was not choppy and hence we were able to kayak easily to the cove. Along the way, the guide briefed us on the history of the area and also made us aware of the geological rock formation.
As we arrived at the cove, we were given 2hrs to roam freely while the guide gets himself busy making us some tea and cookies. How cool is that!
It was nice to walk through the arch and continue to stroll along the lovely beach. It's even amazing that the seawater was warm. I could just lie there whole day, listening to the flapping waves and taking a nap by the beach. This was the best I've ever relaxed! It was really hard for me to say goodbye to this lovely beach. As evening approaches, we kayaked back to the beach and head off to our holiday park campsite for the day.
The holiday park where we will be camping for the night was yet another surprise. In fact, this was the best holiday park that I've been thus far. It was pretty new and has a very modern kitchen for visitors to prepare their food. It also has nice cabins for people who prefer not to pitch their tents. What's more, the bathing area was equipped with hot showers and even hair dryers. Almost spotlessly clean like a hotel.
We can dig our own trenches using rented spades and relax in our very own thermal pool which resemble like an onsen in Japan. Indeed, it's unbelievable that the hot water can be seen bubbling from the sand and the water was indeed hot. My sole of the feet was baking and I had to hop around to more cooling part of the beach. What's even special is that on the other side of the beach, the water was cold. How can the sea self-divide itself to have both hot and cold water? I guess, that's the amazing part of mother nature.
A visit to this hot water beach is a must if you ever visit the Coromandel Pensinsular region. It's a perfect site to have spa in the nature facing the sea, clear blue sky or perhaps, to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunset.
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