Travels with haRVy

You’re never far from a spectacular beach in New Zealand. Our next few stops, as we began our tour of the Coromandel Peninsula, were exemplary.

Waihi Beach and more free seaside camping.

Kiwi swing-set on a Pohutukawa tree.

Cool looking beach shower.

Tairua Beach where we watched surfers while having lunch.

One of the must-see sights on the Coromandel is Hot Water Beach where underground geothermal fissures create boiling hot water that bubbles through the golden sand at low tide. Visitors dig their own spa pool in the sand and relax in the natural springs… a truly unique Kiwi experience. It all sounded a bit silly to us, but we went anyway.

Fun for all ages.

It is REALLY hot in this area. You can’t stand in it for more than a few seconds.

This remarkable attraction definitely draws a crowd.

Not far up the road from Hot Water Beach is another “must do” – the Cathedral Cove Walk. We read that it is best to visit this east facing beach in the morning, so we camped overnight in the parking lot at the head of the hiking trail.

Back light from the sunset, which occurred behind a hill to the left.

We got up early to hit the trail before the crowds. This nice sunrise was a bonus. 45 minutes later we arrived at Cathedral Cove. I’ll let the next few photos speak for themselves.

A trickling waterfall.

It is easy to see why it’s called Cathedral Cove.

We’ve been on North Island for ten days now and this is the first chance I’ve had to go online with enough time to update this blog. Too busy exploring! We have also been taking advantage of many Freedom Camping options, which means few (if any) amenities. Today it is raining, so we checked into the somewhat pricey Miranda Holiday Park to soak in their hot pool, take showers, and spend time catching up online.

Pulling away from the ferry dock in Picton as we say a sad goodbye to South Island.

Queen Charlotte Sound.

Last view of South Island headlands.

The ferry route (left to right).

We were happy to have a sunny, albeit breezy, day for our crossing.

Oldest lighthouse in New Zealand as we approach Wellington Harbor.

The sign we continually seek.

Beach view from our free camp site on Raumati Beach. “Raumati” is the Māori language word for summer. I bet this beautiful beach is hopping in season. Was still pretty nice during our mid-Autumn visit.

Our view in the opposite direction.

And out the van’s back doors at sunset…ahhhh.

While we were in Raumati Beach we enjoyed a rare night out. How could we resist when there was a fantastic restaurant, Waterfront, just a few steps from our camping spot. The prawn kebabs and pan fried calamari were very tasty and the service friendly! I can’t even describe the Pomegranate Parfait.

So here’s a photo of it. No idea why the creator called it a parfait, but it was delicious. See Al’s hand on the spoon? He could hardly wait to scoop into it.

Waterfront Restaurant a short walk from our van.

In order to make the most of our limited time (3 weeks) on North Island, we were advised to head directly north out of Wellington for mid-island. After our night on the beach, we continued on SH 1 North to Waiouru where the NZ Army Museum offers free overnight parking. The history of the New Zealand Army is explained here with an extensive collection of artifacts, audio visuals and realistic displays. All excellently done, but depressing as every exhibit featured wars (of course).

This example shows one of the modern war exhibits.

Waiouru is on the south-eastern North Island Volcanic Plateau. Our first glimpse of the area’s geo-thermal features is a distant view of Mount Ruapehu, an active volcano, as we drive the Volcanic Loop around Tongariro National Park.

Next post coming soon.