Hey There Hahei

Thursday July 2nd

After our long day of driving yesterday we arrived in the tiny town of Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula. We stayed in Tatahi Lodge which was small and cozy. Our first spot this morning was Hot Water Beach. There is actually hot water in certain spots under the sand, on on 2 hours either side of low tide you can get to it by digging with a shovel and sit in your own personal thermal pool. We got there about 9am, and the tide was just coming in so we were hit with just enough waves to make many digging efforts obsolete. We did manage to find some hot areas, and got our feet nice and toasty. The sea water was freezing so it was a crazy combo. There were a few other people digging, but apparently in the summer the place is swarming (like the rest of the Peninsula).

By late morning we were trekking up to Cathedral Cove. A guy we were staying with told us it would be a 5 min walk to the start of the trail, but he was off by about 30min and a couple very steep hills. It was a good workout though, and we got some amazing views of Mercury Bay (so named because Captain Cook measured the transit of Mercury here when he was sailing around claiming things for England back in the 1700's). It was a beautiful day out and once we hit the trail head the scenery was unbelievable. The water is clear and blue, the sand is white, and everything in between is bright green. It looks just like a postcard.

We stopped at Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay- which, according to our reputable local, was named that because back when the first European family settled in Hahei their daughter didn't notice a giant stingray basking on a rock and stood on it. The ray swam back out to sea, taking the girl 30m out into the bay on its back. Both were lovely spots and apparently great to snorkel, but Cathedral Cove was spectacular. It is a pristine beach with interesting rocks just off the shore and a huge natural arch (the cathedral) on one side that you can walk through to another beach at low tide. Being winter, we had the place practically to ourselves and took plenty of time to take photos and do gymnastics.
We walked all the way back to Hahei Beach which was a mass of white sand and more blue water and not a soul in sight. We would have stayed longer if we weren't famished, so went to the single cafe in town for lunch. Our next stop was organic Perengi Winery where we met Danny, one of the funniest and most interesting people I've come across. He told us a mix of New Zealand history from the Maori that used to inhabit the Coromandel to the introduction of the amazing feijoa fruit from Brazil and why it is so much better than the Kiwi fruit- which is actually from China. He had us sample wines and all sorts of fruit liquors of varying deliciousness- most delicious being a lemon gin and the feijoa liquor, least delicious were the ginger and a potent licorice tasting thing. He had us practically rolling on the floor laughing at what we could understand- he talked a mile a minute with his crazy kiwi accent and dialect, and did impressions and poked fun at pretty much everyone imaginable. He showed us his found collection of kauri gum, Maori stone artefacts, and best of all little stones that were in the gizzards of moas, the giant extinct birds. He said he found them as a kid and used them to play knuckle bones, or jacks with. Obviously, though, he referred to them as "moa vom". Made my day.

On his recommendation when we left we stopped at Shakespeare's Cliff. And we did like the locals and walked past (ok, climbed around) the little fence, through a bit of brush, and found ourselves on a rock point with a jaw dropping, practically 360% view of Mercury Bay.

We took the ferry across to the town of Whitianga where the only grocery store is. It's a 2min boat ride or a 45min drive. Plus the boat was mildly exciting.

In the evening we headed back to the winery. We had been invited to crash the Board Riders monthly get together of drinking, smoking, and playing table tennis (which I learned is different from ping pong). It was definitely a local event- we were a bit of a curiosity to the group of self-described "crusty old surfers". We met a whole load of characters, saw some great outfits- gum boots, shorts, and giant woolly sweaters with yaks on them. No joke. Most of these guys were sustainable farmers and had some good stories to tell. I also made friends with Kittybus, the resident kitten who had a love for Doritos. Tiffany and I convinced Danny that he wanted to hire us for the summer in the cafe and now we have a whole group of people willing to teach us how to surf!