So I have realised that writing a blog consistently is proving difficult with the amount we are doing, so for now I am writing these retrospectively until I catch up.
Once we left Paihia and after an exhausting 6 hour drive, through dozens of bendy roads through the hills, we arrived at the Turtle Cove hostel. Once we arrived we quickly checked in so we could stretch our legs and go for a wander to the beach, in which we then decided to stop at a sports bar on the way back. Whilst we were minding our own business having a drink, we were approached by a women who asked if it would be okay to twist our table round so more of their group could sit together; also insisting that we join them for drinks. We ended up talking with this group of locals for ages, mostly a similar age to us. It was really funny to watch them interact with each other, it’s typical Kiwi dialect. Although the best part was that they suggested we go to this certain ‘hidden’ beach, called “New Chums Beach’, they stated that it is apparently on some bucket list of places to see, although we think that might just be local bias. As it was getting late we said goodbye to the locals and headed back, once we got back to the kitchen we recognised a man from the hostel we stayed in Auckland; bearing in mind how far Auckland was and that we had been to places in-between we were quite surprised to see him. We talked with him all night, and as he was travelling on his own it was very interesting to hear his stories.
The next day we had a lot to get through. In the morning we went to the Hot Water Beach before the tide came in, here you can rent some shovels and dig in the sand until you hit water, and in certain spots the water is surprisingly hot. Tonnes of people were laying in it, or dipping there feet in to make use out of the free makeshift hot tubs before the tide washed all their efforts away! Next we went to Cathedral Cove, this is another popular tourist spot which consists of a scenic 45 minute walk ending at a passageway to a small beach. Once we got there we took some pictures and quickly hurried back to the car as we were hoping that we would later see a much more impressive beach; as we wanted to take the local’s suggestion and visit New Chums Beach before the day was over.
We put the directions into google maps, and drove about an hour. However, to actually get there you had to first walk through a completely different beach which to be fair was pretty nice itself. You then had to walk over rocks going across the shoreline and round the corner, to then walk about 30 minutes through some woods. Once we got there I instantly realised why we were told we had to go here, and also why it wouldn’t be a surprise if it actually was on some type of bucket list. The beach stretched far with white sand and not one piece of litter ruining it, the sea was a clear blue with big waves, and the whole beach was hidden away by trees. To top this all of, there were only about another 10 people on the entire beach. I was so glad we chose to come, it felt like an adventure to get there and we were rewarded with the best (to date) beach that I have seen. All I can say is that pictures definitely do not do it justice.
Lee Teivans Travel Blog 