Day 15 (Part 2)
Summary: Drove to Coromandel Peninsula, coastal walk to Cathedral Cove, visited Hot Water Beach
Thursday, January 16th
From Hobbiton, we drove 2.5 hours to the Coromandel Peninsula, a beach place. We stayed at an Airbnb in Hahei near the beach. We got there an hour before check-in, but the host was there and said it was fine since the cleaning service had already been through.
We loaded up on sunscreen and walked to the beach and then along a 2.5 km walking path to Cathedral Cove. It was really pretty and super nice weather all day. The view from the beach was cool because there were lots of huge rocks sticking out of the water.
We walked back to our Airbnb and stopped for ice cream on the way. Then, we drove to Hot Water Beach during low tide. I had read that you can dig down in the sand during low tide and hot water fills the holes. The water underground is heated by thermal activity. So people bring or rent spades, dig holes, and sit around relaxing in their shoreside hot tubs! Some people even brought wine and beer. We didn’t rent a shovel because I didn’t want to pay for one and I figured we could just claim an abandoned hole. When we arrived, there was no mistaking which area of the beach was Hot Water Beach. There were tons of people!
We saw a few empty pools, but they had been abandoned for a reason – they were cold! Someone must have started digging and realized it wasn’t the right spot and moved on. Instead, we stood and dug our feet in while observing the activity. Indeed, the water was very hot! So hot in some places that I had to keep moving my feet because it felt like they were burning. The water in the ocean was cold, but the water under the sand was practically boiling. I’ve never heard of anything like it before. Since the sun was setting behind a large rock, the top half of me was actually pretty cold so I wrapped my towel around me. We didn’t lay in the hot water like others were doing, but I’m glad we still go to experience it!
On our way back to the Airbnb, I smelled french fries out the window and decided I wanted fish and chips for dinner.
It was on the menu at The Pour House restaurant down the street, so we walked there for dinner. Greg got fish and chips too and it was delicious! It definitely hit the spot.
We walked back to the Airbnb and played some of the travel games I brought: Love Letter and Blisters. The next day was a big travel day as we flew to the South Island of New Zealand!
Thanks for reading!
-Rebecca
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