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| Whitianga Harbor |
We’ve booked a city tour departing from Coromandel Town for our second day in Coromandel, but finally ditched it ( long story! ). Instead of going to Coromandel Town, we went to the other side of the Peninsula to Whitianga, a beautiful coastal town with easy access to a lot of beautiful beaches. And here’s some that we managed to visit.
Hot Water Beach
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| Hot Water Beach |
After visiting Hot Water Beach, our visit to Motuihe the previous week seemed pale in comparison. The water was so clear, the sand so clean, the sky so blue, the sun ( most of the time ) friendly. I can’t swim but I felt like taking a plunge into the water, it was that beautiful.
I didn’t want to miss the fun so I scrolled my jeans up, crossed the river, walk barefooted along the beach, and enjoy the gentle waves crashing on the sand under my feet.
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| White sand, clear water, beautiful weather! |
I was really disappointed I didn’t bring a beach towel and a shovel and I didn’t even wore a proper beach outfit ( I didn’t expect to visit any beach that day! ). A shovel? Why would you need a shovel when you’re going to a beach, you might ask. Somewhere under Hot Water Beach there are two underground hot springs which filters up through the sand. To enjoy this natural spa pool, you would have to dig out a bit to let the warm water came through and fill in your "pool".
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| Like this! |
I tried digging a little with my feet, and the water coming out was so hot I screamed and ran to the sea to cool them down. I guess I picked the wrong spot!
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| Check out the crystal clear water! |
D and I agreed we should go back here someday and enjoy the beach like we properly should!
Stingray Bay
Finishing up in Hot Water Beach, we waited for the shuttle bus to pick us up and take us to our next destination : Hahei Beach. Before we leaped out of the car when we reached Hahei, the driver mentioned that we could walk from there to Cathedral Cove. I’ve heard so much about Cathedral Cove, and since the shuttle bus would later pick us up in Hahei Beach, I thought it would make more sense to go to the farthest one first. So we walked to the direction he showed us, and we walked, walked and walked until it finally occured to me that we were going up the hill ( mountain was more like it actually! ) instead of going down to the beach. But the signs confirmed that we were going the right direction. And it was too late to go back. We had no choice but continue walking under the scorching sun. And we kept going up! Ridiculous as it may seem, it was the only way we could reach the beach by foot. Even more ridiculous, it didn’t cross my mind to take a boat tour from Hahei Beach instead of walking!
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| It was a tiring journey, but the view was amazing |
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| Deep blue sea, as seen from up the hill |
After one-hour of walking hiking while enduring sore feet, we finally reached… *drumroll* … the car park. You would think the car park was just steps away from the beach ( I would gladly think so ) but the fact was, it was situated on the highest point of the hill! From there, we had to make a ( by theory ) 45-minute walk to the beach.
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| Just behind those cliffs sits Cathedral Cove |
Now, having reached the top of the hill, I had to go the beach!
On the way to Cathedral Cove we passed Gemstone Bay but we decided to continue walking for fear of not reaching our main destination. But did we finally reach Cathedral Cove? No. We came to a point where the sign said we were 30 minutes away from Cathedral Cove, although I was certain we’ve walked for more than 15 minutes ( and we’re still somewhere on top of the hill ). We decided to stop because we still had to walk back to Hahei and we had to catch the 4.30 shuttle bus.
So instead of continuing our walk to Cathedral Cove, we decided to visit Stingray Bay. Although it was far closer, compared to Cathedral Cove, from where we stood, it wasn’t an easy journey. Not only we still had to walk down the walking track and steps, we reached a point where under our feet was a slippery, muddy ground I had to take off my poor slippers and walked barefooted ( on a muddy ground! )
| This is what I'm talking about! |
And the ( almost ) final step was so steep I had to hold D for dear life. And it didn’t stop there. There was no walking track from there. In front of us was just.. rocks! Huge, coarse, sharp rocks. There was no other way, we had to climb down through those rocks ( again, barefooted! ).
As I mentioned previously, it wasn’t an easy journey. And at that moment, I couldn’t say it was worth it and I wouldn’t want to go back there again, at least not by foot. But looking at the pretty pictures now, the now-forgotten tiresome journey was definitely rewarding. I’m glad I went there. It felt like I’ve completed a challenge and came out a winner
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| Stingray Bay, a pretty secluded beach with pretty turquoise water |
Stingray Bay is a small beach surrounded by white cliffs, the water is turquoise, there aren’t lot of tourists. It is more like a private beach. And after that long journey to reach the beach, it just felt so heavenly to be able to sit on one of the huge rocks and enjoy the warm sand and the splashing of cold water under my feet.
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| Stingray Bay |
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| Stingray Bay |
Walking up the mountain wasn’t, suffice to say, normally something I would do, especially when it was actually a wide asphalt road, easily accessible by car. But I can’t deny it was a memorable journey and the view was absolutely stunning. I can just imagine how it is like to live in one of those houses I walked past while walking, waking up to such a beautiful view every single day.
Sneak Peek : Hahei Beach
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| Hahei Beach, as seen from on top of the hill |
By the time we reached Hahei, we still had 30 minutes or so, but I was no longer able to walk, my feet was so sore from all the previous walk! ( And I kind of suspected the beach was still far from where we were ) So I had to kiss Hahei Beach goodbye, for now. I so wish to go back to Coromandel and visit those beaches I hadn’t been able to visit ( I have a very long list in mind ). One day..
