Beach Hopping in the Coromandel – Day 11

So today we are making our way from Hot Water Beach all the way to Waihi. Waihi is a very famous beach in New Zealand for sunrises.

We started in Hot Water Beach and are driving toward Waihi. Now Waihi is about 100km away from Hot Water Beach so according to Google, it’s going to take us about an hour and 15 minutes. But, if you know anything about Robin and Laura, it will take us much longer than that. We leave Hot Water Beach and we are on the road – on the way to our lunch stop which is going to be Whangamata. Which, I always thought was pronounced Whangamata because that’s how New Zealanders would pronounce Whangamata but apparently you say it in quite a posh way like Whangamataaaa, darling, Whangamataaa. This drive is actually going pretty smooth. Just a beautiful drive, really between farmland and then some forest and hills and there’s everything going on outside our campervan right now and it’s just a nice enjoyable trip.

So we stop at Whangamata Beach for lunch. Laura made us some great fried rice about six days ago. It’s about to turn bad. We need to eat it. So if you are about to get food poisoning may as well go on a gorgeous location.

Just a quick pits top, well, a lunch stop before we head to Waihi where we are going to be staying the night. The seagulls are coming. Let’s hope we don’t have a rerun of last time.

We have the fried rice on the beach. I think at least the beach was a nice environment and it was nice and relaxing but maybe my food was not the best today.

We really desperately need a heater because it’s the fourth day of winter today and we are freakin’ cold in our camper. You know, right next to the heaters was some farting pillow thing. I don’t know, maybe that keeps you warm as well I guess. Woops, I sharted: rapping tighty whities. Why?

It’s a tricky road but actually it’s a really stunning road at the same time.There’s some beautiful treetops and stuff. You can see all the forest canopy from up high in this mountain road, so. I mean, It’s really nice but it’s quite challenging when you have such a big campervan like ours.

Finally, we get to the top of this place, we’re on the other side, and the scenery just turns into farmland and it’s straight roads from there.

And we are now in Waihi. And obviously our parking spot is very narrow and there is no way I am fitting in it or so did I think. I have to do a massive U-turn. I’m never going to fit in. That’s not working. But then you get like a bunch of Kiwi dudes that were like laughing their ass off seeing me with a camper just with this depressed look on my face. They all come out and give me so clear instructions. I mean, it was amazing. They were like: “Hard left, hard right, go back, stop, do this, do that.” It took us about a minute and a half. I was right in position, back, done.

You guys deserve a beer. What do you drink?

So we parked up and we just need to relax now and go have a stroll on Waihi Beach, which Waihi Beach is known for its amazing sunrise but we go check it out at sunset and it’s pretty amazing, like the colours you see there at the same time so loving life on Waihi Beach and Robin needs to get up in the morning and actually capture that sunrise with the 360 camera so, that’s his job tomorrow.

So, welcome to a very atmospheric edition of the Backpacker Guide dot NZ travel diaries. Oo, hello cat. That was actually quite scary. Anyway, I though I saw a light or something and I’m alone in the dark and I’m freakin’ out.