The Coromandel Peninsula

Hey all,

coming at you from the other side of the earth. We are now living without a permanent address for the first time in our lives. Our home is on wheels.

We spent our New Year’s at Waihi beach that is located at the base of the Coromandel peninsula. We stayed at Alex’s parent's bach that was located right on the ocean. For those who don't remember Alex was one of the people we lived with in Palmerston North.

 Our View

The doors to our room opened up to a view of the ocean which was amazing. We spent a couple of days boogie boarding and relaxing at the beach. We read lots, lounged around and had an all-round good time. Alex's family was great to visit with and we shared many stories. The day we left was Alex's grandfather's 92nd birthday and they had given him an Ipad Mini which he was totally stoked about!!! It was so awesome to see. My parents now do not have any excuses to learn about new technology. Haha


After hanging at the cabin, we headed north up the east side of the Coromandel peninsula. This is cottage country for the Aucklanders and Hamiltonians. We stopped for a hike to see some 600 year old kauri trees along the way. They mostly got logged out back in the day, but there are still a few remaining here and there.

Close to the Kauri walk there was a swimming hole that we stopped at. Some guys were diving off the top of the waterfall. I was thinking of pretending the picture was me, but thought it wouldn't fool you.

The road went right along the coast and the beautiful red blooming Pohutakawa trees made the scenery picturesque.

Unfortunately, Roberta started to get the flu and was not feeling at the top of her game. We spent one night in Waikawau Bay. The beach there was quite nice.

The next day we moved on to Stony Bay which was as far as the road went on the east side. Our campsite there was the best yet being right on the ocean. While Roberta spent the day in bed not feeling so well, I headed out for a hike and tried some beach casting off the rocks to see if I could catch a fish. The track to the fishing spot was quite grown in, but had some spectacular views of the coast. The last part of the track I was basically absailing down to the rocks down a steep hill. There were two other kiwi's fishing there and although I didn't catch any fish, I got some good fishing tips about surf- casting.

The next day Roberta was feeling a bit better, so we headed back down the peninsula to a place called Hot Water Beach. At low tide, you can dig a hole in the sand and if you are in the right area it will fill with hot water from underground springs. You actually had to be careful and not scold yourself in some areas the water was so hot. We spent a good 3 hours soaking in our self made hot water pools and chatting with some Kiwis.

The next day we headed to a place known as Cathedral Cove. It was only a short 10 km drive from hot water beach. It was an hour walk along the coast and through the bush to the actual cove. There were many side tracks along the way going into different bays and small beaches. The whole area was a marine reserve and we heard that the snorkelling was quite good at some spots, but we didn't have the gear and Roberta wasn't feeling a 100% yet, so we didn't rent any. The cove itself was beautiful. The waves were really rolling in that day and the "cathedral" was quite amazing.

 The "Cathedral"

 Roberta Walking Through

 Close up of Pohutakawa flowers

After hanging out at the cove for a bit, we made the walk back to the van and headed west. We had the Taumarunui Vet Clinic fishing trip in Kawhia the next day which was around a 3 hour drive. I'll tell you about it in the next blog.