Stuart and Keris Tied the Knot!: Short NZ Vacation #1

Nov. 24th - Nov. 29th

Vacation time (not that we needed it after a relaxing time at Trish’s in Dargaville). Our next WWOOF wasn’t for a few days, so we wanted to make the most of it. Driving back to the east coast, we stopped at Koanga Gardens, an organic property working to save heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables prior to genetic manipulations. We pressed on to Goat Island and rented some snorkels for the marine reserve. The black sand beach was hot from the sun’s rays, but the water was freezing even in our wetsuits. We saw some very large snapper, and some small schools of fish, but the water was a little murky and after only 20 mins, we were too cold to continue. After a looong recuperation on the beach, we decided to try again, swimming out toward the island’s rocky shore. Lasting over 30 minutes this time, we had similar luck spotting Moki, Snapper (a couple big ones), Marblefish and others. It was getting too late to drive much farther, so we stayed the night in Auckland with Rob and Cherie again (plus we needed to pick up our tent we bought online). It was a great chance to eat well and hang out with friends.

Getting out of the water, RUN to the hot sand!

Our next destination was the Coromandel, one of the most famous and photographed peninsulas in NZ. The first stop was Hahei Beach, with white sand and high hills overlooking the turquoise water. We took long hikes up the hills and over to Cathedral Cove where we spotted a pod of orcas in the water. That night we went over to “Hot Water Beach” to check things out. Known for bubbling hotsprings right on the beach, if you catch it right with the tide, you can dig a little sand hot tub and be right on the beach. What a spectacle. As the sun was setting and it was getting quite cold, more and more people seemed to be showing up to get in on the action. At first we just stood around to take it in, but we figured we had to try it out while here, and sure enough, it works! And, what fortune to have low tide right at sunset. Nowhere in the world can you have a better view to the sunset than a personal hot tub custom built right on the beach (unless a big wave comes crashing through your sand wall and washes your tub away, which happens quite often as people jockey for position close to the water’s edge). The next day we drove up to the remote beaches at Opito and Otama Bays. Mostly deserted, there was also sparse camping, and ended up in a farmer’s pasture with long drop toilets and no showers. It was a pretty beach, but not one of our favorite nights of camping.

A view of Hahei Beach from above, just thought it was cool how the interference of the waves created that awesome pattern on the sand.

View from the beach at Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Another section of Cathedral Cove.

Hard to get a good shot, but there's a pod of about 6 orcas following the boat.

Our sweet new tent held up well the first night. Even with the foam pads, we opted for the cots the next night.

Finally decided to do a little work around here and dig out a seat in someone else's spa at Hot Water Beach.

Plenty of room for 2 for a romantic sunset on the beach.

The hot water boiling out of the ground next to my feet, it was too hot to stand directly downhill from it.

We finally made it to the beach at Otama Bay, just in time for sunset.

Leaving the Coromandel on Friday, we stopped in at the Driving Creek Railway Center and took a ride to the “Eyefull Tower” at the top of the hill along a small scale diesel train. We passed by pottery sculptures, bridges, tunnels and mosaics. It was a wonderful creation on this land.

Entering one of the tunnels, the stone work and pottery throughout the grounds was spectacular.

A view from the "Eyefull Tower" at the top of the hill.

A long drive down to Raglan for the night, we somehow left the great beach weather behind, despite ending up at one of the world’s most well known surfing cities. Raglan is a very laid-back surfer town. We came with hopes of buying a surfboard and using it for a few days here and throughout the trip, but the weather wasn’t great, ocean too cold, and boards too expensive.

Posing at Wainui Bay with surfers in the background. No way were we getting in. We sat and watched the professional surfers at Manu Bay from the comfort of our car.

We ended up leaving after one night and driving to the Waitomo Caves area.

Even our backpackers was pumped about the caving experience. Check out the hard hat chandelier and the paper mache stalagtites inside the dining area.

We booked a Blackwater Rafting tour for the next morning, but got a taste of what we were in store for that night during our hike through some of the limestone caves. Huge caverns with rushing rivers below and glowworms above. It was so beautiful and unique. Because of the rain, we were the only ones on the pathway, feeling like we were exploring the deep of the Amazon.

Keris scoping out some caves in the cliff during our self-guided walk

Standing at the front entrance to Aranui cave, it was locked for the evening.

The next morning, our blackwater rafting trip added to the experience. We put on 10mm thick wetsuits since the cave water temp is only about 50deg (our normal wetsuits are only about 2.5mm thick) and picked out an inner tube for the ride. Most of the exploration was by foot through the treacherous wet cave, but we jumped off 2 small waterfalls backwards into our tubes (in near darkness) and floated as a giant chain through the best glowworm viewing area. Turning off all sources of light, we were in total darkness except the glow of thousands of worms above. It was like viewing the stars in the sky from atop a mountain on a moonless night. As your eyes grow accustomed to the dark, more begin to appear and then fade as you slowly drift down the river, the cavern walls ascending far overhead. It was a truly phenomenal experience.