WAIHI BEACH

FRIDAY, 18th October. 

By 8.30am we were fed, showered, packed up and on the road, ready to begin the new day.  Passing by a couple of farms we were soon on the road to Whitianga, via  Coromandel Town which we'd both given the thumbs up!  The road was mostly a good one though wriggly and steep, with a few road work stoppages along the way.  Thirty minutes later we reached the small town of Kuaotunu and stopped to look at the beach and take photos (of course!)  We rugged up as the wind was bitterly cold, exchanging pleasantries with a man clad in shorts & tee shirt who'd arrived with his flash new boat in order to go diving.  He did admit that 'it was a bit chilly!'

Shortly after 9.30am we arrived in Whitianga, stopped to look at the beach then made our way to the Hula Cafe where we treated ourselves to excellent coffee & cake.  We then did a drive through the town which boasted several cafes, all of which we could see were well patronised, stopped at the marina for a comfort stop and on the way back to the main road, found a computer shop and were able to purchase a replacement mouse for the computer...yay!  Whitianga was also given a thumbs up.

Next, we visited the Hot Water Beach where hot water springs are usually accessible two hours either side of low tide and can be found by digging a shallow hole in the tidal area.  We were there at the wrong time of the day but enjoyed our short visit.  

About 9 kms away is Cathedral Cove, also on our list of places to visit.  Unfortunately, the walking tracks to the Cove are currently impassable due to damage caused by a cyclone last year and the only way to view or visit is by boat.  Sadly, we weren't aware of this fact when we planned and made bookings several months ago, consequently we did not have the time to view or visit so just took photos instead.  While doing so, we chatted to a young man from Newcastle in N.S.W., on holiday with his family.

We stopped briefly at a Kiwi Sanctuary/scenic lookout, 

drove through Tairua 

and on to Whangamata to our arranged meeting with Pam & Col, Kiwi friends we met in Mont St Michel, France in 2013 and last saw in Caen, France in 2015.  They arrived back home just a couple of days ago from an extensive 'tour de France' followed by 5 weeks in the Greek Islands so we were extremely pleased that we were able to meet again at last and spent a very happy couple of hours reminiscing, exchanging stories and just catching up.....the highlight of today's highlights.  

Our final stop today was at Waihi Beach where we are staying tonight.  After dropping off our goods and chattels at our accommodation, we drove to the Brighton Reserve beach at the end of the road,

talked to a young German man there who told us he is from near the Danish/German border and is travelling around NZ on a year long visa.  We then drove through Bowentown to the Anzac Bay Lookout and looked out at the view.  

All day today we have enjoyed picturesque views, over mountains, through farmlands and lovely beaches, we can even just about bear the cold winds!  

On the way back 'home', we called in to the Waihi Beach Hotel, recommended by our hosts, and shared an excellent freshly made pizza washed down with a very fine beer and a very fine Shiraz.  Perfick!  An excellent end to an excellent day.