Posted one day late due to lack of internet yesterday.
Starting Point: Coromandel Town
Ending Point: Matamata
Kilometers traveled: 310
Today I felt exactly like this seagull with a missing foot:
I managed to whack my left knee smack on the knee cap while getting out of the campervan this morning. Felt like I cleaved it in half, but luckily it is just badly bruised. However, it did hurt like hell and meant that all the hiking we had planned today didn’t happen. So we skipped down the East Coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, stopping off to look at the sights and take a few short strolls.
We stopped by Hot Water Beach, where, for 2 hours on either side of low tide you can rent a shovel and go dig a hole. It then fills up with hot water and you’ve got your own hot tub for a bit. Sadly, it was nowhere near low tide when we were there, but we still had fun walking on the beach.
Then we headed over to Cathedral Cove, to see if Kat could make the hike there. But the hill and stairs were a bit much with a swollen knee, so we ended up just enjoying the views from the carpark at the top. Still breathtaking.
From there we headed over to Mercury Bay and Cook’s Beach. Capt Cook named the bay and the beach after himself and the transit of Mercury across the sun, which occurred while they were here with the Endeavor.
We continued on down the coast looking for pretty views and seafood. Stopped off for lunch in Whangamata and ate sandwiches alongside the wharf, then headed on down to Waihi for ice cream.
And then we pushed on to Matamata, which will set us in a good position to visit Alexander Farm tomorrow. You may know Alexander Farms by its more popular name: Hobbiton. It was definitely one of those days where nothing super exciting happened, but we had a good time and saw lots of interesting things anyway.
And I’d like to send out a super huge feel better message to my good friend, LV, who is recuperating from surgery.
I’m too far away to bring you ice cream, so I went and got some today in your honor. 2 scoops! Hokey Pokey (the most popular flavor in NZ: vanilla with chunks of honeycomb toffee – tastes a bit butterscotchy) in one cone and Blackberries and Cream in the other. Feel Better Fabulous Lady!
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