We did not have anything planned for this weekend so we bought some tickets for a tour of the Coromandel peninsula! We hopped on yet another bus and headed to the peninsula with a group of Chinese students and a few students from Argentina. Our first stop was in the town of Whitianga to take an old train ride in the mountain. The train was designed by a local artist who first started it to haul clay down the mountain to his pottery studio.
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| view from the train lookout, not too bad |
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| silver fern growth, origin on koru symbol |
Next we settled into our hostel in Whitianga and did some bone carving! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I definitely underestimated the amount of work that goes in to each piece! It took about an hour for each of us to do our individual piece. I made a koru necklace, not sure for who yet! (Be on good behavior and it might be yours...)
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| 1. power tools |
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| 2. sanding, took forEVER |
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| 3. lookin' good, eh? |
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| 4. wet sanding |
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5... not good enough, apparently. more sanding
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The next morning we headed off to check out the hot water beach! The Coromandel peninsula, like Rotorua, has a lot of geothermal activity as well. On the beach at low tide, if you dig a hole in the right spot you can have a pool of nice, hot water! Pick the wrong spot, and you will set your feet/ ass on fire. I discovered this the wrong way. More then once. And I ran through other tourist's pools, splashing people. It was embarrassing, but it did lead to me diving into the ocean, which was my first time in the Pacific ocean! I can't say the people who I had splashed were as enthused however...
The most famous place on the Coromandel coastline is Cathedral Cove. The Coast that the cove is located on is largely made up of a HUGE pyroclastic flow that solidified just as it reached the ocean. This has resulted in towering, white sea cliffs with beautifully shaped edges and some wave- carved rocks in the middle of each bay. (Note: Its been a while since I have indulged in my love of rocks, alright?). A few of us decided to check this area out by guided sea kayak - which was definitely the right choice for me. I loved seeing the coast from far enough out. We even saw some sting rays (in Sting Ray Bay...). When we reached the Cove we had 'tea', which included our two amazingly attractive guides transforming into baristas, offering lattes, capuccinos, mochacinos, hot chocolate, flat whites, and tea. Wilderman with barista skills? All my male suitors better tune in, this is a future hubby requirement.
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| hey, cuz! |
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| Can I live here? |
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| But really, I'm moving in... |
That concluded the weekend, we headed back to Auckland to 'finish' (start...) our last paper for the semester. Just one final project and two exams and I will be D. O. N E. !!
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