Coromandel Peninsula

Amped up from our hike of Rangitoto, we decided to check out another hike (or tramp, in Kiwi) that had been highly recommended by our Canadian ex-pat friends, Jana and Carlos.

The hike, called The Pinnacles, is in the middle of the Coromandel Peninsula. It's supposed to be quite spectacular. 

We decided to make a weekend of it, to give us time to check out a couple of other attractions on the Peninsula: Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove.

Unfortunately, the weekend trip happened to coincide with a deluge that Mother Nature had planned. When we arrived in the Coromandel Forest Park to hike the Pinnacles, we were informed that there were extreme storm warnings and that the road to the trailhead was closed due to concerns about it washing out in the rain. Therefore, if we wanted to do the hike, we'd have to add an extra 12km just to get to and from the trail head.  We said thanks but no thanks, and opted for a shorter hike up to an ancient Kauri forest instead.

In actual fact, the ancient Kauri forest appeared to consist of just one large tree, but it was quite cool nonetheless. 

Trees on trees on trees.

 Probably the best view of the hike, looking out at a distant waterfall.

 More trees.

We managed to make it through the tramp before the rain started, and we stopped in a little town called Thames on the west coast of the peninsula for some lunch. I only mention this, as it was Justin's first time having a hot mince pie (a very traditional Kiwi meal). He didn't hate it. We then headed to the east coast of the peninsula to check out Hot Water Beach.

This beach sits atop some hot water springs, which leech up through the sand to create hot pools. During most times, the part of the beach that sits on top of the springs is covered with ocean water. However, for 2 hours on either side of low tide, the sand is exposed, and visitors can dig holes and create their own personal hot pools (the average water temperature in the springs is 64 degrees celcius, so it's actually hot). The hot pools then get destroyed as the tide comes back in. 

The beach is exceptionally popular, which we learned when we arrived to find it choca (short for choc-a-block, another Kiwi-ism) about an hour before low tide. Emma had been under the impression that she'd be able to dig a little hot pool for herself anywhere on the beach. In reality, there are just a few small pockets that sit above the springs, so you may find yourself digging fruitlessly in several areas before coming upon a literal hot-spot. We (Justin) attempted a few digs with the shovel that we rented at the beach cafe (it's that popular) but then gave up once we realized that all of the viable pools had been taken. Fortunately, the people-watching was just as good as sitting in the pools. Well, at least that's what we told ourselves. Many groups had dug up massive pools, large enough for 10-12 and then spent the remainder of the time trying to fortify their pools against the incoming tide. One group had even brought sandbags (which proved to be unhelpful). It didn't help them that the rain had started to come down steadily by this time.

We vowed to beat the crowds and return the next morning at 5:30am before low tide to make ourself a pool. This never happened, likely a direct result of us finding two breweries in the vicinity.

The first, Hot Water Brewing Company, is actually attached to a holiday park (a glorified camping ground with some cabins and running water). They had some excellent beers, and gave us free chips and guacamole, so we'd definitely recommend this place. 

After checking out HBC (and wishing we were staying in their holiday park), we checked into our own holiday park in the nearby town of Hahei (pronounced Ha-Heyyyy). From there, we were recommended to try the Pour House (get it?), home of the Coromandel Brewing Company. They had several delicious offerings on tap, as well as fantastic wood-fired pizza. 

The next morning, we woke up (well after 5:30am) to monsoon-category rain, but decided that we were going to check out the nearby Cathedral Cove. No way were we going to be deterred by the weather.  

Here's what we expected to happen.

And what actually happened. Actual umbrellas not pictured, but both of ours were mangled by the heavy wind. We couldn't even see the cove, the rocks, or the water due to the excessive amounts of rain and fog.

It's safe to say that we'll definitely be back to the Coromandel over the summer, and we will hopefully get in a good hike of the Pinnacles and a proper view of Cathedral Cove the second time around. We will also probably need to sample both breweries again to ensure that they remain up to standard.