Before reaching Whitianga we stopped off at Hot Water Beach. In a particular area of the beach, just beneath the surface of the sand, lies hot water percolating up from deep within the earth. People come and dig holes in the sand so that they can sit in a hot water pool. Sometimes the water is so hot that you relish it mixing with sea water. Hot Water Beach is probably one of the more crowded beaches you will come across in New Zealand, although the crowding is limited to where the hot water is.
The AirBnB in Whitianga was called ‘Beach Retreat’. Somehow I expected the beach to be the other side of the road, but we were on a crescent of houses with no view of the beach. It was quite a strange house for an AirBnB. All of the back garden was a building site as the owner, Kelvin, was building a very large garage. Shortly after we arrived Kathleen and Kelvin returned home (they lived upstairs). Kathleen immediately laid out a roll of artificial grass at the side of our vehicle! They had been to Hamilton for the day. Kathleen is a very enthusiastic ballroom dancer, regularly going to Hamilton for lessons, but we soon learned that she is setting up her own classes in Whitianga. Her favourite programme is Strictly Come Dancing. The conversation was all a little surreal.
Although they were welcoming, there were other shortcomings with the house. Where there should have been an oven there was a cavity in the unit, forcing us to use the BBQ. There was also an infestation of ants in the kitchen. Despite these shortcomings and the fact that it did not live up to expectation, the house was quite comfortable. Another saving grace for the house were the cookies that Kathleen made for us.
We didn’t have anything planned or booked until the afternoon, so on the morning of the next day I took the group to Otama Beach, a thirty minute drive north of Whitianga. The last village we passed through was Kuaotunu and the road from there over the headland is interestingly called Black Jack Road. Unfortunately, no amount of research has given me an answer as to why it is so named.
Otama Beach is one of my favourite beaches with an expanse of sand between two headlands and crystal clear, blue water. There was hardly a soul on this stunning beach. How can that be? Oyster Catchers puddled at the water’s edge and the dunes at the back of the beach are home to Dotterels, a beautiful bird that dances over the hot sand looking for food.
We, too, danced over the hot sand in our bare feet, until we reached the cooler, wet sand. It was so perfect that we could not resist going for a swim. There was a slight edge to the temperature of the water, perhaps not quite as warm as I was expecting, but it was extremely refreshing and energising, particularly when you became used to it. Chris had to get used to it rather quickly, a wave knocking her off her feet, sending her sprawling through the surf.
Unfortunately, the hot sun, the need for a coffee and an afternoon booking forced us to leave. The coffee was provided by Luke’s Place, a coffee shop on the edge of Kuaotunu that does a roaring trade, serving great coffee. Had we got more time we might have been tempted to try the food in this “Tardis” of a cafe.
At the designated time we met Ken Hindmarsh on the quay in Whitianga for our boat trip along the coast in a former coastguard light vessel. It is quite small, only taking a maximum of twelve passengers, but it moves through the water very quickly. We occupied the front of the vessel while other passengers occupied the rear. We headed out following the coast south, rounding the headland that is named Shakespeare Cliff. The early settlers named everything to remind them of home. This particular headland is thought to have looked a little like Shakespeare – the power of imagination. We continued along the coast looking at various features, blow holes, beautifully shaped stacks and the very popular Cathedral Cove, a cave separating two halves of the beach. It is accessible by a walk, and judging by the number of people on the beach, is quite popular. I always think it is better approached from the water.
Continuing, we entered a marine reserve where no fishing is allowed. Stocks in this reserve are thriving, but, as soon as they leave it they are, of course, vulnerable to being caught. I’m not sure that the fish are intelligent enough to realise. However, when Ken threw some fish pellets in the water, it became alive with Snapper, twisting and turning to get as many pellets as they could.
Two more stacks we came across were the wine glass and champagne bottle, both rising majestically out of perfect blue waters. The final feature we came across was a cave. Ken manoeuvred the boat into the cave where we were invited to sing. “On top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese…” echoed off the walls and made my singing quite reasonable!
There was a bit of a swell, so, for the next activity, Ken sought some shelter from one of the islands. In the lea of the island, away from the strongest of the swell, we dropped anchor so that we could swim with the fish in the reserve. The water wasn’t perfectly clear, because of the turbulence caused by the swell, but we were able to swim around among the fish. The rocks closest to the island shore were covered with swaying seaweed that sheltered all sorts of colourful fish, all rather more shy than the Snapper.
On the journey back, Ken really leaned on the throttle and swerved us around for some fun.
There is much more to the Coromandel than Hot Water Beach and Whitianga, a lot more to explore, but we would have to save that for another visit. Our trip with Ken, one that I would not hesitate to repeat (I have now done it three times), brought a good conclusion to our time on the Coromandel.
