The Coromandel Peninsula

It was a long day from Trounson Kauri Park to Coromandel Town but as soon as we hit the peninsula we knew it was worth it. The last 50km were a stunning drive as we twisted and turned along small coastal roads before arriving at Shelly Beach campsite 5km north of Coromandel.

The day after we planned to do a minimal amount of driving so we could enjoy the terrific beaches and just chill out a little! Hot Water Beach was our first stop. Supposedly, this 'thermal' beach is meant to give you a nice hot pool of water if you dig a hole in the sand. After hiring a spade and an awful lot of digging we had nothing but a pool of cold water. Despite the lack of thermal pools we enjoyed watching the surf and picnicking at this lovely beach.

We then moved onto Cathedral Cove. It's a 45min walk from the car park to the cove, and well worth it. The beach had turquoise waters and white sands in the backdrop of a large spit and archway - stunning!

From here we headed to Waihi where we had planned to stay over Xmas.