Hot Water Beach

First on our Kiwi adventure was just a few hours from Auckland by car - Hot Water Beach, located in the stunning Coromandel. The beach is voted by the Lonely Planet as one of the world's top ten beaches and when you arrive you’ll see why. We stayed at Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park which was perfect, they even offered ‘glamping’ tents which had single put up beds and so was ideal for our one night stay. Just a couple of minutes walk from the site and you’re at the beach, where you can spend an afternoon digging your own natural hot water pools and relax for the day. It feels bizarre but amazing when the waves roll in and you’re submerged in a hot bath whilst simultaneously being covered by ice cold sea water! The photo below was taken on a drone and gives you an idea of how the beach works.

For something even more special, be ready for an early wake up to catch the sunrise at the beach. In summertime if you head down at around 5.45am, you’ll have time to dig yourself a hot water pool, and then lay back and watch the sun come up across the waves. The added bonus is that it is a LOT quieter than visiting in the middle of the day, when sometimes it’s so busy that finding a space to dig can be tricky.

Nearby is also Cathedral Cove, which is about a 30 minute walk down a super scenic route filled with towering palm trees and icy blue waters at the bottom. This cove is only accessible by foot, kayak or boat. On the actual beach there are giant caves and rocks both on sand and in sea, which really make it so different to any beach either of us had ever seen. All in all, our first stop in NZ left us seriously excited to discover some more of the countries natural beauty