November 2, 2015 Whitianga NZO

After a fairly long day driving yesterday, we ended up in the Coromandels at a town called Whitianga (the spell checker is trying hard to rename it Whiting) which  is on the coast at a lovely spot called Mercury Bay. Apparently one Lt. Cook bumped into the place (NZ, not Whitianga specifically)  in 1769 and apart from filling up his water tanks, he plotted the passage of Mercury through the night sky, thus setting the Longitude and Latitude position of NZ for all time using a replica of Harrisons H4, made by Kendall. This of course contributed to Harrison eventually being awarded the 20,000 pound prize by the longitude board for discovering how to measure Longitude when floating about the globe on a boat. Oddly, the Polynesian ancestors of the Maori also bumped into Aoteraoa some 800 years before him with nothing more than a long canoe and some none-to-fresh fruit. Isn't science wonderful?

Today we had perfect weather, it's almost hot having reached 20C for the first time! We went out on a boat as well to discover the sights down along the coast. As its mainly a soft volcanic rock of pumistone, there is lots of erosion giving rise to arches and caves and reefs and things.

On the way out we took a detour out into Mercury Bay, chasing some dolphin that had been sighted earlier. Instead we found some blue penguins loafing about and a shoal of fish called Tarwhine. Through the glass bottom we also found a jelly fish or two.

The main attraction on the glossy brochures for the cruise is a feature called 'Cathedral Cove' which is a hole in the rock, and very pretty it is too. Through the glass bottom of the boast we could also see hoards of fish, mostly snapper, and the skipper was telling us how the sea life has made a fantastic comeback since the marine park was declared 35 years ago.

Further on we came to some more rocky bits in a place called Champagne Bay, so called because Cook thought that this particular outcrop looked like an upturned champagne glass. Bit of a stretch for the old imagination, but then it was 246 years ago.

Next we went through a gap into a smallish circular area cut out of the rocks. In the back wall was a 'hidden' cave, in which it is rumoured that the bones of ancient Maori kings are interred. Perhaps it was hidden once upon a time when it would have been a cave inside a much bigger cave.

One last stop was a proper cave, claimed to be the second largest in NZ, into which we drove with the boat and bobbed around taking snaps.

Jelly fish. Mercury Bay NZ

Cathedral Cove. Mercury Bay NZ

Rock. Mercury Bay NZ

Cathedral Cove. Mercury Bay NZ

Another rock. Mercury Bay NZ

Upside down champagne glass without foot. Champagne Bay NZ

Maori King's burial cave. Orua NZ

Sea Cave. Our NZ

Sea Cave. Orau NZ

Sea Cave. Orau NZ

 After so much excitement one can only retire to a cafe and drink coffee, preferably accompanied with something really nice to eat. Sadly the chicken and leek was a let down, but that lemon curd tart was sensational!

One other 'must-do' in the area is the Hot water beach. Now apart from inventing jumping off bridges and the like with a rubber band tied to your legs, the Kiwis have also invented this cracker attraction to take your money away. You drive to the beach, which really is called Hot Water Beach, pay at least $2 for parking 1 hour minimum, rent a shovel for $5 and head off down the beach. No need to ask where to go, just follow the crowd to the middle of the 20 metre stretch of beach in front of the rocky bit. We wandered down and it was all I could do not to fall down dead laughing my head off. You take your rented shovel and start digging in the sand. You'll soon notice that the water welling up is hot, or not. if it's too cold or too hot, move along the beach, or down to the waterline, or up to the rocks and dig again. The plan is that you can dig a great big hole which will fill up with water to the temperature of your choice, and then sit in it, a la spa. Don't mind that the hole fills up with sand instantly, or that the sand is almost black and sticky, or that the water is either too cold or so hot it will give you 3rd degree burns. Remember: you are having fun! Was funny as hell to watch, that's for sure! Anyhow, well worth a look for the fun of it.

See the mob gathering at the prescribed hot water digging area. Hot Water  Beach, NZ

Looks more like the diggings at Coober Pedy. Hot Water  Beach, NZ

 now these nice folk know how to have fun, sitting in the warm mud in the sunshine. Hot Water  Beach, NZ

And still more mud-larks on the way. they just keep coming, almost as if they were coming to the gold-fields to find their fortune. Hot Water  Beach, NZ