Well Known Secret - Hot Water Beach

There's a well known secret in New Zealand about a thermal river that runs into the sea somewhere along the East Coast of the Coromandel Peninsula and fittingly it's called "Hot Water Beach". I had heard about this place from my second visit to NZ way back in 2002 just after we were engaged, but I had yet to visit. Since we were only about 30 minutes away, this was one of the top things on our list to do on this leg of the journey. I think we may have even skipped fishing on this particular day so we could get to the beach at the right timing with the tide... but as you'll see, we didn't quite get there early enough...

We parked in the northern parking lot and Tony rushed off with the shovel and bucket while the rest of us meandered along the wind blown beach. Originally I had wondered how we'd be able to to tell where the hot water ran and if we'd be able to figure out where to dig out our little spa pool... but boy, good thing I'm not a worrier lest those worries be really a waste of time - check this out:

The beach was fairly deserted as we walked along the sandy beach with our gear getting caught in gusts of wind. Ahead in the distance we could make out something which turned out to be this throng of people all gathered in the same small area trying to do the same thing.

That thing - dig out a spa pool and then just sit and relax. So first you start digging... dig, dig, dig... until you've a) found hot water; b) made a space big enough for you and your gang to sit in; c) you're just plain tired of digging.

Helena, of course, didn't follow any of the digging rules - she just jumped in when she decided it was time! Because we had arrived a bit later, our 'spa' was right on the water line which meant the waves, though the tide was going out, still knocked into our hole causing the water to be less than ideal 'spa' conditions... yet we all enjoyed the experience of this amazing slice of Kiwiana - Hot Water Beach!

Don't let my photos fool you, when we first arrived it was actually very gray and windy and cool (thus the hoodie - I totally take after my mom's sensitivity to the cold, wouldn't you agree?!)...

but after we'd had enough of the spa, well, after the kids repetitively barked "I'm hungry", we found a somewhat sheltered spot to eat our tuna and egg salad sandwiches and catch a bit of the sun that finally came out. 

The kids thought napping on the beach was just not an option, they opted for sandy rocks.

I opted for just hanging out. I may have even opened my book - maybe - but I wouldn't have gotten very far before someone would've decided we'd had enough sun for the day (or wind or was it that we were hungry again?). 

Thankfully the ice cream lady was still in the parking lot when we got back! There were good options for all of us here! You can see Helena in the foreground sucking back a dairy-free slushy, while Hunter's diligently licking away at his kiddie soft serve and mom's enjoying her treat. There's just something about ice cream at the beach - really, it always tastes best after/during a trip to the salty shore. 

These two fell right to sleep in the car and slept through the entire shopping excursion at the Whitianga New World where mom and dad got to come along and help choose. Of course by the time we were done, the kids were awake and in need of toilets... and hungry - AGAIN! This time we were prepared.


This was a really fun day out experiencing something uniquely New Zealand! Ohhh, and this was the night Tony and I got to go out on a date - something uniquely unique! Ha! We got the family home and set the kids and parents up with dinner, etc then headed out across the ferry to enjoy a tasty burger and a showing of Mission Impossible whatever number it's up to! Oh the joys of having family on holiday with us!!! WOW! Can they please stay!?!? This was the only date night we had strangely... but we were appreciative.