Every time we visit Taranaki we get absorbed by its surreal
beauty, the great ocean waves, and the awesome camp spots. This time we were luckier than last time. We
managed to get a week full of tasty waves and sun kissed days. Our legs were
tired from surfing. Ready for a break, sitting on a canoe sounded good, but the
weather turned grey and our canoe trip was cancelled. I guess it’s another reason to come back.
On our way to Tauranga we stopped over in Taupo at a thermal
spring waterfall and took a dip. We
headed to visit our cherry-picker kiwi friend and ended up staying at his house
for a week helping on his mom’s flower farm.
Their family was one of the first British to settle on the peninsula at
Plummer’s Point. After a recharge from
the farm we were stocked up on fruit and ready to hit the open road again.
We decided to take the longer route to Raglan so we could
check out Waitomo area and
Kawhia Beach on the west side. The pristine forest, stunning waterfalls, and
glowworms made the long way worth it. Kawhia
Beach is the mouth of a beautiful harbor and holds a hot spot that can be found
at low tide. We found the hot water spot, and
we were the only two people there! We rolled into another week of surf, sun, and
fun in Raglan. We met some Californian surfer
friends who were heading to the east side to catch some waves. We caravaned it together and scored. After surfing for a few days on the Coromandel we headed to “the”
Hot Water Beach and dug a sand jacuzzi for the four of us.
Before heading back to Raglan we got word that space was available
to work exchange at an eco-retreat overlooking the surf break. The stars were aligning because the waves
started pumping. Eugene was happy. We
get to stay in a real bed in an old train caboose. We’ve had warm days and very cool nights with
winter creeping in and travelers around us leaving.
