|
  | |  |
Whitianga
Entry 118 of 155 | show all | print this entry |
|
Once again a bright and sunny morning as we set off north west out of Tauranga. We passed through the modern suburbs and onto the continuing 'Pacific Coast tourist route' of Hwy 2. A few kilometers out of the city I spotted a side road - "Ainsworth Road". Family and friends will recognize this as a previous address in my home town in England and it gave us quite a chuckle to think of how far we had travelled to now turn into Ainsworth road!
We drove on through plantations of kiwi fruit and fields of cattle, the road being slightly inland from the sea. As we progressed north into the 'Coromandel Peninsula' the road became more twisty, as it climbed and fell near the 'Coromandel Forest Park'.
At 'Whenuakite' we turned onto a side road leading directly to the coast and 'Hot Water Beach'. Here, at low tide, you can dig a hole in the sand and it will fill with hot water which has risen up from geothermal rocks a few kilometers below the surface. The scientists reckon that volcanic activity finished in this area between 15 and 20 million years ago and yet the underground rocks are still at 170 deg C!!!!!!!!!! The tide was still falling, so we continued up the coast to arrive at 'Cathedral Cove recreational reserve'. As we parked and set off down the coastal path to the cove, a wedding party was assembling on the headland in the afternoon sunshine. What a great spot for a wedding (I must choose somewhere like this next time)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We walked on down the path and after 45 minutes arrived on the beach next to Cathedral Cove, an enormous limestone arch which had been eroded by the sea and then collapsed, leaving the fascinating rock formation. We walked through it and admired the beach on the far side before returning back uphill to the car park. There were great views over the bays and islands and we were buzzed by the cheeky fantail birds as they hunted for flies. Returning to Hot Water Beach the tide had now gone out but the wind was blowing breakers onto the beach. That and the fact that I didn't have a shovel or my swimming cossy, stopped us from digging for hot water.
Norah decided she would at least go for a paddle but misjudged one larger breaker and experienced water that was definitely not warm! A bit further up the coast we stopped at the small town of 'Whitianga' for the night, where it was starting to rain. Distance driven 217 Km 135 miles More thumbnails ...
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from North Island, New Zealand or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
4 votes 
