I enjoyed an easy morning in bed while Joel got in his morning jog. He headed up to Te Pare Reserve to see the remains of a Pa (fortified village on the headland). The local Māori in the region were wiped out by another tribe further up the coastline. After being vacant land for a couple of decades, European settled the area in the 1860s. Went looking at the Pa from a distance you can still see the terraces that were built into the headland which would of been the foundations of their fortifications.
After breaky we headed for today's walk - to Cathedral Cove (Te Whanganui-A-Hei). It was about 1 1/2 hours one way to the amazing arch that has been carved away (this area was featured in the second Narnia film). It was a great walk, but also a tough walk - 8ish km round trip with 300m of climbing. On the way back we did a quick 5min walk into Gemstone Bay and were greeted by a lovely rocky beach (round rocks of all different colours) which is known for its amazing snorkelling.
Back to the cottage for lunch and a quick rest before heading (by car) to Hot Water Beach. Hot Water Beach is best experienced a few hours either side of low tide and at a small section of the beach you take your shovel and dig a 'bath' in the sand. Why? Hot water is flowing out of the ground thanks to some volcanic activity so you get a nice hot water bath. You have to be particular about where you dig as some of the water is VERY hot and some quite cold - a bit like Goldilocks you have to find a part of the beach that is 'just right'. Considering it is not school holidays yet it was pretty crowed, and good spots at a premium so would hate to see what it would be like in peak season. Oh it was also raining while we were there so we had a hot bath and cold shower all at the same time!!
Back to our cottage for a shower and seeing it was too early to settle in for the night and the kids are stupid excited, we headed in to Cooks Beach for a look.
Two very different explorers who landed/discovered in this area - Kupe (legend has it that he was a polynesian from Tahiti) who landed in this bay in 950AD and Captain Cook who anchored here in 1769 to do his part in recording the Transit of Mercury.
We also checked out the oldest stone wharf in the Australasian region. It is still used today for regular passenger services to Whitianga. Also noticed for the first time signs for Tsunami evacuation routes- a harsh reminded of the risks involved in living in a volcanic landscape.
Headed back to the cottage and enjoyed a BBQ dinner in 13C temp