The last full day in New Zealand—and it was a pretty one! I went to the two most touristy locations on the peninsula, Hot Water beach and Cathedral Cove. At low tide on Hot Water beach, you can dig a hole in the sand and the thermal hot waters which feed into the ocean seep up, and mixed with ocean water, provides a nice, toasty ‘spa’ for one to sit in. The lovely B&B I stayed at had a shovel for me to use, so off I went to dig myself a hot tub. I was told to get as close to the rocks as possible…which I did, and started digging. Water did indeed come up from the sand, but it was all cold, regular sea water. I gave up on that hole and went even closer to the rocks, and started again. I dug and dug…and every now and then I felt some warm sand, so I kept thinking that I was getting closer. After all, the people right next to me had hot water in their spa. Alas, I finally gave up, wondering if the warm sand/water I felt was just a result of my cold water sitting long enough in the sun to warm up. Whatever the case, the experience was a unique one, and I was happy to be on a lovely beach on a sunny day. Apparently, though I personally didn’t check, there was a spot directly in front of me in the ocean which was really warm from the geo-thermal waters. I figured I may as well get going to Cathedral cove, while the tourist pack was still sitting in their spas (not everyone found hot water, in fact the majority of the people I checked with did not) I had heard that parking was a real issue there, and I wanted to get to Auckland before it was too late.
The walk/hike to Cathedral Cove is about an hour each way, but it is lovely. It was very different from the other cathedral caves I visited on the south island…namely there were a bunch more people here and it is really white sandstone. But the other cave was much larger. I read that this location was used for filming a part of the Narnia films. Speaking of which, I now want to re-watch all the Narnia films as well as all the Hobbit films, as I am sure I will recognize a bunch of the locations J
After the cove, I headed back to my B&B to return the shovel and for a quick shower, and I was off to Auckland. I have to say, one of the strangest things was driving on a multi-lane freeway again. I have gotten so used to driving on twisty two-lane roads that I almost felt hemmed in by the fact that I couldn’t just pull over to stop (at a pull-out place of which there are many in NZ) and take a picture when I wanted to…not that I really wanted to on the highway in Auckland, but still, I have grown quite acclimated to the local roads (even though I still drive much slower than the locals, which was part of the reason I was pulling over frequently).
I found my airport hotel, brought in all my stuff, I have to say it was definitely the most Clampett-ish porter trolley I have ever filled, then headed off to find dinner. I promised myself that I would have at least one good steak meal while in NZ, after all, I had passed so many cattle stations where they feed on luscious green grass, and tonight was my last chance. The place I went to has a single price for steak and salad bar, but you get to choose the cut of meat and the actual piece of meat. I was advised to get a ‘scotch fillet’ which is a rib eye, and it was delish! I could only make it through about half of it, and I brought the rest back with me for breakfast the next morning.
I took the car back to the rental place, got an Uber and headed back to the hotel. I finished up with the packing and set my alarm clock for 0:dark 30. I have had a wonderful time, but am so excited to be heading back home.
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