When One Door Closes...

We drove to the Coromandel Peninsula, and lucky for us, the weather was also great on the east coast! We based ourselves in a town called Whitianga where we could visit Hot Water Beach (you can dig a hole in the sand at low tide and thermally heated water fills it!) and Cathedral Cove, a beautiful beach accessed by a 30 minute walk through the bush. Before we knew it, it was time to head to Auckland. We spent the afternoon walking around the harbor and checking out the Anniversary Weekend festival. By evening, we were arriving at the Cliffside home of Jeff and Gilli. We were stunned by the amazing view down to the Muriwai black sand beach from their back porch.
Jeff and Gilli were so generous that they offered us their holiday home in Taupo Bay to explore Northland, the northernmost region of NZ. We took the scenic route up to Taupo Bay stopping at several beaches and sights along the way. While in Taupo Bay, we made day trips to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of NZ, and to Waitangi for the festivities of Waitangi Day, a holiday celebrating the Treaty of Waitangi that was signed between the Maori and the Europeans. The rest of the time, we relaxed, swam in the ocean, did some reading, and at low tide collected tuatua (clams) for dinner. We were on a good old kiwi holiday! Although we hated to admit it, our time in this beautiful country was running low, so we made it back to Auckland to return the rental car and spend one last day with Jeff & Gilli. After a delicious fresh seafood BBQ with potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw, and fruit salad with homemade whipped cream for dessert, we packed up for Melbourne. The next morning, Jeff was driving us to the airport and it was time to say goodbye to friends and an incredible country. Onward to the next adventure…