Anchor Lodge Coromandel

... Most of us agree this was probably the low point of the trip!
The next morning we headed farther down 25 to hot water beach where during the two hours between tides, if you dig a hole in the right place it fill up with HOT water. We were all expecting warm-ish but this water was burning our hands and feet as we tried to dig. We ended up using our very limited engineering skill to keep digging out until we found cold water and then sit in the ...

... for ourselves. It was rather poorly thought out in that we straddled the hot water's edge in an attempt to make it tolerable (it can get burning hot), but ended up with one half being barely tolerable and the other tepid. We had also brought along a few eggs and tried to boil them in the hot water. We dug into the sand and let them cook. When we were about to leave, we tried digging them up, were only able to find one, and were disappointed to find it only partially cooked. The other ...

... the current debate is the soft-spoken Bavarian girl, Lisa. She is quite because she is still trying to improver her English, and is timid because of it. She just graduated high school, so is a bit young, but she is mature and seems to be able to take care of herself. She seems to be becoming more comfortable around all of us, so maybe she will grow more conversational as time progresses.

Finally, Denise is a 35-year-old British woman who seems prim and proper, but definitely has ...

... have a cup of tea. Not too stressful.

The night in the caravan wasn't so nice. A lot of insects found their way in, so I was battling mosquitoes all night. I've got some nice bites on my cheeks to show my defeat. I set up my hammock this afternoon and am planning to sleep there now that I have a rain fly and a bug net. I think I will get more sleep and be more comfortable.

Tomorrow is my day off. I'm not ...

... Whitianga. There was a huge grassy area at the top, just back from the lookout, which would be a great picnicking place. Headed back to the ferry stopping first to walk through the cemetery - possible the best position on that side of the water! By the time I got back at 8pm I was exhausted - arms and legs just a little tired after the days activities. Thurs 5 Feb - Whitianga Had to spend another day here based on the bus schedule, though I have no concerns with that at all as it is a ...

... cove we took off to Hot Water Beach. At Hot Water beach all you have to do is dig a whole, sit in it and you have you hot springs. Some of the hot water flows down the beach but nobody is able to go into it because it is way to hot. A lot of people try and they scream very loudly. There were a lot of people at the ...

Leaving Mount Maunganui proved to be easier than I thought. Living in a place long enough to know where all the good spots are and be comfortable enough to figure out what to do with an afternoon is something that I really took for granted living in Red Deer. However great the Tauranga and Mount area's were, they will be just as good when we go back for a visit near the ...

... he then handed me the cords to the cut chute, and i STILL had no idea that he had cut the chute. i was oblivious. i guess it was better that way. We finally landed, other guys that worked there were making jokes, and that was when i realized that he had to cut the chute. Then i got to make jokes at Dale about how he really did almost kill us, and he told me about how he was getting his own adrenaline rush. I'd totally do it again if it wasnt almost $500.

... We headed to Palm Beach on the bus and had the whole beach almost to ourselves! It's a shame it was so cloudy (perhaps why so few people, or maybe that's just how it is) because the beach was beautiful. The gulf islands are largely volcanic, so the sand was a bit coarser and darker than usual, but I think that just added to the effect - it was quite wild. Enjoyed a wee stroll and a paddle then bus back to Oneroa beach - it's closer to the ferry terminal so ...