Hot Water Beach

The trip around the Firth of Thames was punctuated by a soak in the Miranda mineral baths. The large pool fed by several hot springs lies in the middle of a large flat area, once a combination of swamp (since drained) and mudflats. Every year this area is visited by millions of migratory birds. Or so we are told as they seemed few and far between the day we drove through. Between the town of Thames which marks the beginning of the Coromandel peninsula and our destination this day, a small community on the eastern shores called Hahei lies the Coromandel Range and so once again we found ourselves driving up, down, over and around a breathtakingly torturous road. But we survived, our lunch remaining intact in our stomachs despite the devilish attempts of the road to pry it loose. The Top 10 site we were staying at for the next two nights was located maybe 10k south of Hahei along a stretch of beach named Hot Water Beach. As a result of some geologic quirk, thermal vents bring heated CO2 up through the sand in a small area of a very large and beautiful beach.

Nobody was steamed at Hot Water Beach

  For a few hours before and after low tide one could walk across this section of beach and feel the warmth of the sand. One could walk, except for the fact that this small section is thick with people all carving out or rather digging out their piece of the beach forming private hot pools. The idea is to have a wave deposit some sea water into your little pit which would quickly warm up. Spades could be rented for around $5.00/hr. It seemed they would be useful not only for the digging, but also for defending your territory. Anyway, while the scene seemed a bit obscene to us, we did linger there to wiggle our feet into the sand to search for these hot spots. We found them. They were hot. Very hot. If you stood in a hot spot and let the waves wash the sand from beneath your feet you could only stand it for maybe 5 or 10 seconds before you had to move lest the soles of your feet would be scorched. While this was all very novel the lure of yet another largely empty crescent beach was too much to resist and so we left this industrious knot of spade wielders for the stretch of cool firm sand beyond. Hot Water Beach is also a surfing beach and we watched with interest a group of four boys maybe twelve or thirteen heading out.

This beach had much more to offer

The surf was definitely up. One of the four was clearly very accomplished and he quickly and skillfully overcame the barrier that the crashing waves presented them. The other three despite determined effort were repeatedly overcome by the breakers and thrown back towards shore. Two of them eventually made it but we watched the forth, head hung low, trudge further down the beach to a spot where the resistance was less fierce. Ah, the triumphs and the tragedies of youth! That evening we shared a communal picnic table at dinner with a policeman from Copenhagen traveling solo and mid-way through his 3 week vacation, a young couple from Sweden about to return home after 10 weeks and a couple from Victoria at the beginning of 7 weeks of roaming. Communal kitchens are terrific things at campgrounds like this. The following day we drove the short distance to Hahei to hike to a place called Cathedral Cove, a much photographed and much promoted stretch of beach on the south side of Mercury Bay. Mercury Bay is so named because it was here that in 1769 Captain Cook sailing the Endeavour observed a transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun.

Looking across Mercury Bay to Hahei from the Cook monument

A sunny day in a rain forest

This allowed the location of bay to be plotted on the globe exactly. From there he proceeded to map the coastline. I digress. The walk to Cathedral Cove is not unlike the walk to Quarry Rock in our own Deep Cove in terms of distance and difficulty. There the similarities end as the dramatic coastline looks out to sea and the curving horizon. A grouping of small islands in the distance jutting out of the ocean reminded me of the islands of Vietnam's Halong Bay. The beach of Cathedral Cove is truly a gem and despite the danger warnings and signs forbidding entrance one could not help but enter the cathedral like cavern which led from one beach to the next. (except that Julie did resist)

Cathedral Cove was beautiful but also quite busy compared to most beaches

 The wind and water carved limestone cliffs reached up maybe 50 meters or so and conveniently there was a small freshwater stream that tumbled down offering a freshwater shower to wash away the salt water from your swim before humping your way back up the steep, steep trail for your return to Hahei. From there we headed to Cook 's Beach and a small Passenger ferry that for a small fee took us across the Bay to the town of Whitianga. While we had originally planned to have dinner there we changed our minds given a) the prices at the restaurant we had chosen daunted us a bit; b) we had enjoyed the previous night's communal repast so much and; c) we chanced across a lovely looking butcher's shop and a very funky natural food store with wonderful veg on display. Thus after finding the perfect something for a bride-to-be that we know and love we headed back to the ferry and our car, speculating on where in the world our dinner companions might call home.