Whereshegoes's travel blogs:
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Ahhh....to breath again
Entry 125 of 353 | show all | print this entry |
Woke too early (yawn) and jumped on a 7am bus from Auckland heading towards the Coromandel Penninsula all the while enjoying the spectacular scenery. It's so nice to finally see so much green and lush vegetation. I get a good feeling about New Zealand and already I feel like my whole self has slowed down expedentially.
We arrived into Coromandel and immediately felt relaxed in this small quaint historical town. We wandered to Anchor Lodge Motel/Backpacker and were pleasantly surprised. The place was brand new and way way cool. The beds were comfy and the kitchen was huge and clean. We were thrilled that we had made such a good choice.
Here in New Zealand they have a special backpacker association called BBH which we ended up buying membership for. There is a whole booklet of recommended hostels and their ratings. It is very handy for planning ahead and getting the right facilities for what you need.
We hitchhiked up to Waiau Falls which was absolutely stunning and quite refreshing on a sweltering day like this. I stripped to my bikini and stood right underneath the cascading cool water getting a nice shoulder massage. We picniked and sunbathed surrounded by dense green forest before walking up to the magnifient Kauri grove.
As I walked through, I was comforted by the freshness of the air and the ease of breath. It was very peaceful and still. I could not count for the life of me how many varieties of trees live here. The biggest tree is the Kauri trees which spanned 2 meters accross and so high. I tried to hug one but my arms barely made it around even a quarter of the trunk.
I just sat listening to the bug and birdsongs accompanying the trickling creek which ran through the grove. To try and count the endless shades of green produced by this place would be a lost cause. We relaxed back at the hostel with some new friends then decided to walk out to the dock as it was such a calm and peaceful night. Dutch, German and American studies as we discussed the usual as well as some language lessons.
There is a spa and pool here which are great fun by day as well as night. And sporatic rainshowers remind me of walking through thunderstorms on a hot July evening back at home - getting soaked but laughing all the way. It's good to be happy again - taking time to relax - not thinking about much. Just sitting in nature enjoying the peace and silience.
Where I stayed:
Anchor Lodge
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