Saturday started off windy and rainy which means we didn't venture very far. It did give us a chance to catch up on the blog and do a few chores. Ok, I blogged, Kathy did the chores.
It cleared up a little bit in the afternoon so we decided to go for a walk. We started off walking downtown and through to the beach. We followed it to the harbor and eventually circled around and ended back at the campsite. It was still not very nice so we settled in for the night. It was good to just do nothing.
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| Whitianga |
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| Whitianga |
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| Beach at Whitianga in Mercury Bay |
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| Whitianga Harbor and Marina |
This was parked downtown. Not sure what to make of it.
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| Long Way from Los Angeles |
Sunday morning was looking a lot better weather wise. The rain had stopped but it was still windy. We were eager to get going so we left Whitianga and headed over to Cooks Beach which was only 2 kilometers as the crow flys. However, we had to go around Whitianga Harbor which made it about a 30 kilometer drive. The area we were now in is a very good tourist spot but is definitely meant for the summer weather. Everything revolves around the water. We had planned to stay a few days in the area but the weather is telling us to have a quick look and leave. We may try to hit it again on our way back up in late summer.
Our first stop was Cook's Beach and it was a pretty cool beach. White sand for quite a way in both directions. We took a short stroll, a few pictures and moved on.
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| Cooks Beach |
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| Cooks Bay |
Cathedral Cove was next on our list and a lot of other peoples list judging by the car park. For some idiotic reason I thought the hike down to the cove was only about 15 minutes so I didn't change shoes. I kept my crocs on. Welllllll, it was a little longer than that. The trip in was 45 minutes and the trip back was 75 minutes as we took a couple of detours. I am sure I am going to feel it tomorrow. However, I digress. The pure white sand, crystal clear water and remarkable rock formations sure made the hike worth it.
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| Entrance to Stingray Bay |
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| Gemstone Bay |
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| Cathedral Cove Beach |
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| A handsome couple in front of Arch |
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| Cathedral Arch |
The two detours we took were to Stingray Bay which had a nice little secluded beach.
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| Stingray Bay |
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| Stingray Beach |
Gemstone Bay is one of the more popular snorkeling spots in the area. As we aren’t snorkeling I am not sure the climb down and out was worth it.
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| Gemstone Bay |
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| Gemstone Bay |
So we started up toward the main trail when I realized why there are no Stairmasters in New Zealand. Who needs them.
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Once we completed the walk we ventured over to Hahia Beach where we had lunch before going for a walk. Hahia beach is one of the more popular holiday destinations as the beach is one of the safest in the area for swimming. We walked to the north end of the beach took a few pictures and headed back to the van. The wind has not settled down and now it is starting to get cold.
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| Hahai Beach |
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| Hahai Beach |
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| Hahai Beach from Cathedral Cove Overview |
Our last stop was Hot Water Beach. There is a fair amount of surfing down here but not much swimming as the rip tides are quite dangerous. It didn't matter to us as we weren't about to do either. The novelty of the beach is in the name. At low tide there are two spots on the beach where you can dig your own spa pool as water from hot springs seeps up through the sands.
We were there a little too early as low tide was still a few hours away so we didn't try too hard to find the spots.
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| Hot Water Beach |
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| Hot Water Beach |
We walked until the cold and wind drove us back to the campervan. At which time we hit the road and headed south. We decided to stop at Pauanui but as it was quite late we didn't spend anytime sightseeing. We checked into the park, had a late supper and relaxed for the rest of the evening. In spite of the wind and cold, it was a glorious day with lots of hiking and lots of sand.
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