Album: Jossy Weekend: Waihi Beach and the Coromandel
During the long (Queen's Birthday) weekend, Jos and I visited her family's bach (weekend house) at Waihi Beach, a little settlement on the east coast at the base of the Coromandel peninsula. It's beautiful, green, lush country, with white sand beaches, vocanic hills, and plentiful evidence in the land and people of the strong Maori heritage. We spent some time indoors on the first stormy days reading, playing backgammon and cookin' up tasty, healthful cuisine. We only ventured out for a few long walks to ease cabin fever and buy supplies. Then the weather cleared up and we went up the Coromandel to explore, bumping into my Christchurch-based friends Volker and Hahn who were on their way to Auckland to - and I'm not making this up - collect and ferry back to Christchurch a van-load of frozen real live Rhino poop... Strange but true. We then went to Hot Water beach (where you can dig a hole in the sand and have it fill with hot water from underground springs) but hit it at the wrong tide (doh!), and on to the stunning Cathedral Cove.