And so begins what I am calling the 'Selfie Road Trip' because basically, I'm going to have to get over my fear of 'the selfie', or more accurately, my fear of being seen taking a selfie... I've had some practice and eased my way in with Em but travelling on my own is going to be a whole different ball game, my friends.
Stop one was the Hunua Falls, an impressive waterfall set in the Hunua Ranges, just an hour south of Auckland. Only an hour in to my road trip I decided to opt for the short loop walk but got some fantastic views.
I then headed off East, passing by the hot springs of Miranda near the Firth of Thames. The route took me through some beautiful countryside, largely flat near the water with the mountains of the Coromandel Penninsula providing a brilliant backdrop. One thing, I was promised a lot of sheep. I have seen zero fluffy animals of any kind, but a billion cows. Do New Zealanders realise these are different animals??
Arriving on the Coromandel Peninsula on the North East coast, I follow the diagonal route which takes me straight through the mountains. Amid the amazing views, I found myself behind an old fashioned red sports car. Posh area, I thought, but then I saw another one, and another one, until the mountains opened up into a small lakeside town completely packed with shiny old cars. Literally could not see the road through a sea of cars... The Coromandel Beach Hop the radio kindly informs me. Such a funny thing to come across after miles of silent roads!
After befriending some chickens at a roadside stop... Don't ask... I headed to Hahei, a beach town which gave me my first view of the Coromandel coast and the gateway to the 45 minute walk to Cathedral Cove, which was the place that first made me want to visit New Zealand. I don't think I've seen a more beautiful coastline... Rolling green hills falling onto white sands, with clear blue sea stretching for miles and rounded green rocks emerging out of the water.
Cathedral Cove itself is only reachable via a mountain track so I sort of felt I'd earned this view by the time i got there. A huge white rock archway pushing out into the water revealing the beach behind it. Think this might be paradise...
That evening I drove to Whitianga (lesson no.1, anything whit 'Wh' is incomprehensibly pronounced 'F'. So Fitianga... The hostel is right on the beach so I spent the rest of my afternoon reading on the beach with my chocolate covered strawberries.
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