Revisiting Aotearoa - Part 5

        

Cathedral Cove at sunrise

        13 December, being Derrick's birthday, was planned to coincide with Cathedral Cove or Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve in the Coromandel Peninsula. Before we started off on our 179 kilometre-journey to Hahei, we had the simple breakfast provided by Mattie, who is also a lovely lady with a charming house in the Auckland suburbs. Should we return to Auckland one day, I wouldn't hesitate to stay with her again. But perhaps the next time around, we will not be able to say no to Derrick's uncle. He was rather disappointed that we didn't stay with him this time, but as we were really pressed for time and were only flitting in and out of Auckland, we didn't want to trouble him and his wife.

 

Our Chinese lunch at Thames (NZ$11 each)

        On the way to Hahei, we passed by Thames, and thought it would be great to take a look at what the town has to offer. We found a supermarket and stocked up on some provisions. Spotting a Chinese stall at the food court, we decided to have an early lunch.

        Arriving at Hahei in the early afternoon, we checked into our Airbnb accommodation for the subsequent 2 nights, Hahei Holiday Suite. We had paid RM842.78 for 2 nights. Our hostess, Carroll and her family, were in the process of moving permanently into the adjacent house from Wellington. She and her husband had a wealth of information to share with us, especially on the tide times.

A walk through nature

This coastal trek rewarded us with views like this

        The best time to visit Cathedral Cove is at low to mid-tide. If you go at high tide, the archway floods and the level of the water can reach to your chest, making it difficult and even dangerous to walk through to the other side of the beach. Our accommodation was chosen for its proximity to the start of the 1-hour walk to the magical world of Cathedral Cove.

Awesome views here and there

Hahei Beach down there

        The cathedral-like arch is naturally formed and is truly a photographer's dream spot, especially with the right lighting at sunrise and sunset. And the beach beyond is unspoilt and awe-inspiring. It is no wonder that the New Zealand director, Andrew Adamson, thought of introducing the beauty of this spot for C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian". It is at this spot that the four Pevensie children find themselves on, upon being transported to Narnia.

Snoopy lands on Cathedral Cove, joining Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy of Narnia

        After a fairly easy walk through scenic nature, with the gradient ascending at times, we arrived and were awestruck by the incredibly picturesque Cathedral Cove. It was even better than what we had read and seen in pictures. 

Magnificent Cathedral Cove

        We stayed on till after sunset, and then slowly made our trek back to our accommodation in the gradually diminishing light. For dinner, we had a simple microwaveable dinner, and retired to bed early.

Birthday boy's simple dinner

        The next morning, 14 December, we woke up about 4 a.m. as Derrick wanted to make the trek back to Cathedral Cove to catch the sunrise. I drove him to the pick up / drop off zone at the top of Grange Road, to shorten his trek. Then I returned to our accommodation and blissfully went back to slumberland.

        Derrick returned close to 9 a.m. with some great shots. After having a simple breakfast at our accommodation, we decided to venture around Coromandel Peninsula. Our adventure took us on the famous (or should I say, notorious?) 309 Road, a 22-kilometre-unsealed road that cuts a serpentine path through the Coromandel forest, linking the east to the west. Now it wouldn't have been so treacherous a drive had it not been raining. During our drive, it started to rain fairly heavily and I had to manoeuvre our car through squidgy, sloshy mud on winding roads that were, at many instances, only wide enough for one vehicle! I only had one aim in mind...that is, to reach our destination safely...hence I was in no mood to pause and enjoy the unspoilt nature along the 309 Road. To be fair, reviews and my good friend, Angeline, testify that there are plenty of places to explore along the 309 Road like The Waterworks, an eco amusement park, and Stu's Wild Pigs.

 

Oil overdose (fried snapper, fish cake, paua fritters and oyster fritters)

Oysters, come to me!

Coromandel Oyster Company

Such delightful oysters...worth the nightmarish drive?

      I was mighty glad when the end of the road came into sight. Time to celebrate my driving expertise (ahem! ahem!) and soothe my frazzled nerves with food, also the main reason why we had travelled in this direction. We headed for the Coromandel Oyster Company for some freshly shucked oysters, battered fish as well as some paua and oyster fritters. Yummy!

Exploring Coromandel Town

        Later, we had a leisurely stroll around the historic Coromandel Town to enjoy its charming Victorian architecture. I was pleased to spot a food truck selling fresh strawberry and cranberry ice cream.

Delighting in fresh strawberry and cranberry ice cream

        After that, I had to brave myself and navigate through the 309 Road again. As it's so terribly twisty, I couldn't let Derrick take the wheel or else I would suffer a bad spell of motion sickness. The drive was better this time as the rain had stopped. But it was still nerve-racking, especially when we spotted a car dangling precariously over the side of the road as the unfortunate driver must have made an error of judgement. Fortunately, help had already arrived.

Lobsters merrily baking away on Hot Water Beach

"Get off! This pool is mine. Dig your own pool!"

        Back at Hahei, we explored the famed Hot Water Beach. It was mid-afternoon and we had no intention of joining the hordes of people (or lobsters) industriously digging small private pools and soaking in the bubbling thermal water. We were just there to marvel at the sight and to test for ourselves how hot the water is, approximately 64 degrees Celsius.

   

Glorious views of Hahei beach from the Te Pare Point lookout

      

Stunning views all around

     

Spectacular views of Cooks Beach from Shakespeare Cliff Reserve

        In the early evening, when the weather was cooler, we explored the Te Pare Point Historic Reserve, a lookout on a hill as suggested by Carroll's husband. We also drove to Shakespeare Cliff Reserve for more scenic views. For dinner, we walked to the nearby Pour House to get a Sharkbait Pizza and have it at the comfort of our accommodation.

Delicious Sharkbait Pizza

We had thought of having a meal here but it was all fully booked.

        We left Hahei on Sunday 15 December for Piha Beach. This was our final night in New Zealand before we flew back to Malaysia on the following afternoon, 16 December. We had chosen Piha Beach for its 3-tiered Kitekite Falls as well as its iconic Lion Rock, an eroded 16-million-year-old volcanic neck. On the way, we passed by a town called Maramarua and spotted a little fish & chips cafe with no curb appeal. Needless to say, it wasn't the signs that shouted "flounder", "mussels" or "paua" that appealed to us. It was the sign that began with the "O_" word!

Let's have oysters at Fish Faze, Maramarua.

         Unfortunately, luck deserted us that day at Piha as we were plagued by heavy rains on and off. Plans to take good photos were dashed and I was overwhelmed with worry as Piha Beachstay Accommodation on Glenesk Road was prone to flooding. This worrywart, therefore, could not truly enjoy her last day in New Zealand. Had the weather been favourable, Piha Beachstay Accommodation (RM496.93 for a deluxe en-suite) would have been a lovely place to stay and revel in the beautiful Kitekite Falls and spectacular Lion Rock. Oh well, I guess we will just have to return on another occasion.

Love the walk to Kitekite Falls

The 3-tiered Kitekite Falls

Lion Rock on the black sand beach of Piha, from afar