This was our second international travel, my husband YD and I had spent more time just thinking about an overseas trip but had not had the time to plan it seriously until we realized it was high time we did! Our New Zealand vacation wouldn’t have been possible without Pick Your Trail. I liked the whole idea of someone helping us curate a personalized travel plan which could suit every traveller’s taste. They made our travel plan happen within a very short notice period! They made a skeleton framework of our trip itinerary which could fit in our budget and also the few days we could give for a holiday.
Auckland- Hahei-Coromandel- Thames- Cambridge-Waitomo-Rotorua
Takapuna Beach was clean, beautiful so serene in that bright morning. We could get a beautiful view of the volcanic island, Rangitoto from here. If we had an extra day to spend in Auckland we would have surely made a visit to Rangitoto Island and also another day trip to Waiheke Island, mainly known for its beautiful beaches and the vineyards. There are timed ferry tours which take travellers to these places from Devonport. In order to take a quick look at the city, we took a short ferry ride from Devonport. To explore the city one needs time as there are many things to do in Auckland. One could go to the Art Gallery, attend the Maori cultural performance at the Auckland War Memorial, Sky Jump and Skywalk from the SkyTower etc… We headed off to leave for Hahei, Coromandel.
Roads along Hahei
Since the route was so beautiful we stopped whenever and wherever possible to click pictures and relish our moments. We started in the morning and reached only late afternoon. The location of our stay was perfect. We could take a short drive to the parking lot to start the Cathedral Cove walk and Hahei explorer and also the way to the Hot water beach at night.
We parked our vehicle and headed over to the Cathedral Cove walking track. It took us around 1.5 hours to reach the Cove – our last stop on this route. There were multiple bays which we one could visit while walking to the main cove. The view was scenic, the walk perfect with a clear sky well lit by the bright sun & breathtaking views. To reach the Cathedral Cove we had to cross Gemstone Bay, Stingray Bay, Champagne bay and the Mares Leg Cove. The Gemstone bay has a Snorkel trail which attracts a lot of marine adventure enthusiast. The Maori name for Cathedral Cove is Motauhi which means “a place to debate in“. Above the Cathedral Archway was once a Pa site which is where local Maori gathered to discuss matters of Te Whanganui-a-Hei (the great bay of Hei). Cathedral Cove is also called as Te Whanganui-A-Hei.
Hot water beach, Hahei
We spent a couple of hours enjoying in the freezing cold Pacific Ocean after the Hahei explore tour. Adair and Rick were so cool about us walking into our rooms with sand all over. In fact, they suggested that we shouldn’t go without having a swim in the Pacific ocean. The experience was just out of the world, with no one to bother us and no valuables to take care off. We were so relaxed on the beach that we did not want to leave Hahei soon.
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[…] and YD Nathan’s trip to New Zealand was a planned one, by us of course. Right from hiring a car to plotting out their visits on the NZ […]