So we are on the move again and today's destination was to be hot water beach. Now when we set off for this journey we knew it was to be one of the longest drives we would have to do and by far the longest to date! I don't think either of us had really thought that if the guide book said 4 hours that they were talking 4 hours by car. Our poor little van had to put in a real shift that day and it took us around 6 hours to get to camp! Michael had done most of the driving so I took over for the last 2 hours to give him a rest. Unfortunately for him it was 2 hours of winding and very bumpy roads so within and hour he was green! Unfortunately there are no campsites around the hot water beach therefore we had to stay in a nearby town called Hahia. Well I call it a town it was really more like a Hamlet with a campsite in it however it was somewhere to put our heads down for the night. It was dark when we arrived so there was really only time to get some dinner and head to bed!The next morning it was an early start to take in the hike from the campsite to the nearby Cathedral Cove. The walk was to take about 2 hours round trip and lucky for us the weather had turned in our favour and the sun was shining. It was a tough uphill hike most of the way however the views as we went were amazing and we stopped to take plenty of snaps of the volcanic landscapes and the views to the ocean. When we arrived at the cove we were really blown away by what was there. There are basically two beaches which are separated by a huge rock that has been eroded by the elements over time to leave a large hole! When the tide is in you cannot walk through the hole to the other beach. We had intentionally gone in the morning so the tide was out and you can walk inside the rock through the large opening. When you are inside it its basically like being inside a cathedral hence the name, it is just awesome to think that the power of the waves and water have excavated the rock in such an unusual fashion over hundreds of years! There are also a few other large rock formations which are impressive in their own right too! We had a good look around, took loads of photos before heading back to the campsite to collect the van and head to the famous hot water beach. So now a quick explanation of what hot water beach is. Basically it is a geothermal hotspot where water has sank through cracks in the ground and is heated up by some hot magma left over from previous eruptions many years ago. When you dig a hole in the sand the hot water comes up and fills in the hole allowing you to have a hot bath outside in the middle of winter. There is only a short window of opportunity to dig your hole and have your bath and it is two hours either side of low tide so in our case from 12pm until 4pm. We arrived around 12.15 and went to the shop to hire a large spade to aid the digging process. By the time we walked over to the hotspot on the beach there were already a few bathers their either in the process of excavating their bath or enjoying the fruits of their labour. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I don't think I would have believed it. I was so cynical that I hadn't even put on my swimsuit as I thought there was no way it was hot enough to have an outdoor bath on such a cold day. I was so wrong, there they all were lazing around in hot baths pink cheeks and all, there was steam coming from every pool and reports from the bathers that it was lovely and warm. At this point I rather cleverly left Michael do dig out a hole big enough for 2 and I ran back to the van to get changed. When I returned the pool was ready for me to jump in and I couldn't believe when I stepped in how hot the water was, it was amazing. So there we were lounging around in a lovely hot spa with the water being heated by magma that originated in the centre of the earth, even now I struggle to get my head around how it works. Eventually it was getting so hot that we had to occasionally get out to cool down before jumping back in. Michael being the glutton for punishment went to cool down at one point in the ocean which he reliably informs me was bloody cold! The action which heats up the water is a continuous one so after an hour the water in the pool was almost getting too hot to handle and when we felt we were about 10 minutes away from being burned alive we thought it best to get out and let someone else have a try! The only problem with having a warm bath about a 10 minute walk from the van is that there is plenty of time to cool down on the walk back, that and the river of freezing ocean which you have to climb through to get back to the car park! We got back to the van wet and covered in sand which had somehow managed to get absolutely everywhere but is was very much worth it and a must for anyone coming to New Zealand. We went straight back to the campsite to get a hot shower and changed into some dry clothes before sweeping a beach worth of sand from the floor of the campervan. There are not many free geothermal attractions in New Zealand so this has to be up there as one of the best!