Sunday, Mar 3rd, Whitianga, New Zealand

Greetings!

New Zealand does water in all forms well.  You'd be a little strange if you didn't expect to get wet.  It's an island about two-thirds the size of California, surrounded by bays and beaches.  Even so, they do play up some beaches, and some features of some beaches for the tourists. 

Like Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove.  The last time Pat came here, there were very few tourists.  She, and her friend Anne, got to sit in their own hole in a desolate stretch of sand and enjoy the hot springs which flow just under the beach.  Now, the parking is tight, and the beach is tighter.  The store sells shovels, and the early birds get the choice spots.  If you are too close to the thermal streams, you cook.  Too far away, you can hardly tell the difference between the ocean temperature.  And when the tide comes in, you lose your hole.  And we pay for this?

There's a shuttle from the Cathedral Cove Parking lot, which takes you out to the Point above the beach.  The driver told our group "Take plenty of water, sun screen, and go slowly.  I'll keep coming until 6pm".  The Trail down to the Cove has signs periodically which let you know how much time it should take for you to get there.  I think it's measured in the strides of a New Zealand twenty-year old park ranger.  Fortunately, there are plenty of trees to lean on along the way, and many tourists coming back to encourage you to keep going.  The 45-minute walk easily lasts an hour. 

But if you'll be staying more than a week in NZ, you'll probably get to beaches that are more fun to be on, and a lot less work  to get to.  To see the other few photos we took today, click on: Sunday, Mar 3rd, Whitianga, New Zealand.