New Zealand – Sweet As

Our time in New Zealand was “sweet as” according to the local slang. In other words – rather good.

After our time up north of Auckland, we headed out on the Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast for a few days at Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove – one of our favorite beaches so far.

Hot Water Beach is one the few places where a thermal spring bubbles up from the sand and allows you to create your own hot tub on the beach when the tide is right.  This feature is amazing in theory and is pretty awesome if you can manage to regulate the temperature of your tub with the oncoming beach break waves but this section of beach might be the most densely populated 500 square meters of beach in the entire country.  Sharing the duties of canal diverting and tub building with dozens of other tourists from all over the world becomes a serious game of international diplomacy.

After Hot Water Beach we were off to Raglan on the West Coast but first we had to stop at the home of he Hobbits – the Shire in Middle Earth.  We found it hilarious that the Tolkien film set location was marked for miles out by road signs directing you to the “Tourist Farm.”

And yes, Hobbiton is a serious tourist attraction.  We were a little daunted at first by the steep ticket prices and endless stream of tour buses but how can any Lord of the Rings fan pass up a chance to spend a few hours in the Shire?  In the end, Hobbiton exceeded all of our expectations and was a highlight of our time in NZ.

Our journey to Middle Earth was followed up by 4 days on the west coast enjoying the surf, black sand beaches and the laid-back atmosphere of Raglan.  Raglan is famous for its long point breaks and it did not disappoint.  Gil caught the best wave of his life – so good he didn’t really mind that he lost a contact during that session. However, the logistics of having a replacement contact made and shipped to a reliable and known destination half way across the planet has been no small feat…

Our last night in NZ was spent at the residence of Tony and Bridgette Jones in Auckland.  They are friends with a Samish Woods family and graciously opened their home to us.  We shared an enjoyable afternoon at a nearby park with their small sons, Henry and Patrick, followed by a divine classic NZ lamb dinner. We are so grateful for their hospitality!