Hot Springs, Beaches and Birds

Friday 20 March Cloudy at first, later mainly sunny 22C Drove 130km

After a nautical day yesterday, it was back to the car today. Once again we headed south out of Whitianga, which seems to be pronounced Fitianga, to find some beaches. There is a road just across the estuary from Whitianga, at Ferry Landing, but it is an 80km drive to get there. Twenty-six kilometres from Whitianga is a turn off to Cooks Bay and Hot Water Beach which effectively doubles back on the other side of the estuary.

Hot Water Beach is well known as somewhere you can dig a hole in the sand near the sea and it will fill with hot spring water. To modify the temperature, you just let seawater in to cool it down. The only time that this phenomena occurs is 2 hours either side of low tide. Arriving not long after low water, the car park was full and there were lots of people armed with spades on the beach already. We strolled across the beach to the small headland where the springs are and found one or two holes still being used by other people and the tide starting to fill them in. Digging your toes into the sand between theses holes and the sea was an unusual experience as the water under the sand was warm. One of the two springs on the beach reaches the surface from 2000 metres down at 64C!

Hahei was the next stop, situated on a huge sandy bay. At the northern end is a promentary with a carpark on it which marks the begining of the path to Cathedral Cove. After a brief photo-stop, amazed at the hordes of people climbing off buses to hike along the cliffs, we descended back onto the beach at Hahei.

After several hours of lazing on the beach here, we headed on north up the road to Cooks Bay. This is another long sandy bay with virtually no-one on it especially at the northern end where we saw huge shoals of fish splashing around just off the beach. An equally large flock of gulls was in attendence, diving into the water in a mainly futile attempt to catch the fish. Braving the water up to the waist, we stood in amongst the fish for a while. As we watched, a few gannets turned up to join in diving gracefully into the water, some catching fish.

The road continued north and we stopped at Ferry Landing for a coffee and a cake before driving up Shakespear Cliff to the lookout point.

Mercury Bay, where all these beaches and Whitianga lies, was named by James Cook on his arrival in NZ for the first time. The cliff was also named by him as he apparently thought the cliff looked like the bard. A commemerative stone has been placed on top of the cliff recording the occaision.

Finally, we headed back back to Whitianga and the apartment