House Sitting New Zealand Photography travel

New Zealand Road Trip – Part 5

As we roll into our final month in New Zealand this country continues to amaze and impress. We completed a short house sit in Hastings before touching base with our cousins in the Bay of Plenty, and now, up into the Coromandel. One of the great things about NZ is due to it’s small size you can switch up sights with a short half day drive.

Shoreline by the Three Sisters
Enroute to Hastings we saw a small road sign for The Three Sisters and decided to check it out. At the mouth of the Tongaporutu River the water has worked its’ magic on the soft shorefront stone.
Village of Marokopa on the west coast of the north island
As we drove up the west coast we would come across these little fishing/farming villages tucked into valleys. Wonderful finds with a quaint feeling to them.
Kawhia Campground
Our last stop on the west coast, Kawhia, before heading east. As the school holidays are over here, when we arrive at a campsite finding a spot is not too difficult.
Kawhia Hot Water Beach on the west coast
One of the many geothermal wonders on the north island is the phenomenon of “hot beaches”. If you have a choice, you might want to check out the one at Kawhia Beach on the west coast. Above is a photo of the crowds at Kawhia Beach, as opposed to the circus at the Hot Beach up in the Coromandel on the east coast pictured below.
Coromandel Hot Water Beach
The water comes out of the ground between about 55 and 65C. Dig your own hole and have a hot tub. The water cools enough due to cool sand and ocean water seeping into be able to enjoy it.
Fog Shrouded Roads
Other than the two cyclones that brushed by, overall the weather has been fantastic for us. However, as we traversed the north island we were subject to a few days of wet, foggy weather. It certainly made the driving more interesting.

As we headed up into the Coromandel region we had no trouble seeing why this area is slated as the place Kiwis go to holiday. Not just because over 1.5 million of the total population of about 4.8 million live less than a 2 hour drive away in Auckland. The area itself is spectacular.

Waihi Cornish Pumphouse
This old pump house in Waihi was part of the huge gold mining activity in the area.
Panorama across Tairua Harbour
It seems that around every corner on the roads (and there are a lot of corners) another beautiful vista appears.
Hahei Beach Sunset
It was overcast most evenings, however we still managed to enjoy a couple of lovely sunsets.
Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove is listed as one of the “must see’ sights in the Coromandel. It is beautiful and unique, but the crowds do take away a bit of the charm.
Panorama from walkway to Cathedral Cove
I personally enjoyed the 40 minute walk into Cathdral Cove more than the cove itself. The views up the coastline were awesome.
Hahei Campground
The campgrounds here have been a new experience for us. We have been using private campsites with our tent and have found them to be excellent. Great kitchen facilities and clean washrooms and showers. The only downfall this one had was on our second night there a school group arrived and set up near us…. Why do 10 year olds feel the need to wake up so early? The teachers did do a great job of keeping them occupied though.
Muscovy Duck
This Muscovy duck came by when we were packing up to check if we were leaving anything behind.
Kauri Tree
One of the interesting history notes in the north end of New Zealand is the story of the Kauri trees. As we crossed the Coromandel we did a short walk into one of the remaining Kauri groves.
Hahei Beach Sunset
This corner of New Zealand deserves the reputation it has. Beautiful and intriguing to explore. And when the weather cooperates the days end with sunsets worth heading out to enjoy.

As we head out of the Coromandel to complete our last two house sits, I do truly hope to return to this area. A week or two of hiking here would be well worth the time invested.

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

1 comment on “New Zealand Road Trip – Part 5

  1. Fantastic photos of our homeland. Luckily it didn’t bring on a bout of homesickness ☺ We are from the Bay of Plenty. Pleased to read that you enjoyed your trip.

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