A scenic cove

The first stop in Hahei was to aim for Cathedral Cove. This required us to find a parking spot and walk about 40 minutes.

Because the area is a reserve, dogs aren't allowed, so we were concerned not leave Maddy for too long. Especially as the weather was improving.

The downside was the car park for the cove is small and many people park up to spend the day at the beach there.

We tried when we first got to Hahei, but to no avail. There were just no cars moving. Stop we went for a walk on Hahei beach and went for some lunch.

We wanted to give it one more try and lucked out. We managed to nab a spot as someone left.

The walk to the cove didn't afford much on the way of views, but was still a nice stretch. And upon descending into the cove, the spectacle of nature isn't obvious. But then you find it. And you realise why it's probably one of the most photographed beaches in the country.

A trip to a NZ icon

After some rough weather and torrential rain that flooded some campgrounds the day before, we headed to the East coast of the Coromandel peninsula to visit some iconic destinations that usually adorn travel guides for this country.

We bad ourselves at a campsite just outside Hahei, keeping us within shorty driving distance of the main sites yet still allowing us to stay, considering we had Maddy with us. Many campsites forbid dogs in the height of summer so we have to do our best to find dog friendly sites.

We managed to get based at a campground belonging to a bird and animal park, which seemed a strange place to be dog friendly. But we were relieved to get somewhere.

It did mean that Maddy had some interesting neighbours to "observe"

The other Pacific Coast Highway

Heading around the Coromandel peninsula, the road is known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Considering we've driven the US version, and been wowed by it, we went sure what to expect.

The weather was staring to close in and we knew we were going to get rain, but it made for a slightly moody look to the sky!
It certainly wasn't quite as wow as the California highway, but it was still quite picturesque.

Maddy's road trip

We think Maddy was loving the road trip. Until we picked Ian up and she lost her "shotgun" possie!
She's also taken to sleeping in the tightest spots...

A hidden gem

As Ian had been in the UK, and we'd only bought him flights back to Auckland, Annalie decided to drive up on the campervan to pick him up.

Now, it's not a short distance. And ads to that some Friday dinner time traffic, and some kiwi windy roads, and you've got a bit of a road trip. But a road trip it was.

Annalie had researched some places to stay, knowing that getting as far as Hamilton would be the absolute limit, and that somewhere a bit short of there would be more likely.

So she did a few searches and decided to aim for Mangaoweka Scenic Reserve. There is free overnight camping if you're self contained.

A mere 6.5 hours on the road and Annalie finally made it to this clearing in the middle of some woods. Seeing three other vans gave her some confidence that she'd be ok. So she found a quiet spot to park, set up the bed, opened the vent and set about getting some shut eye.

When she closed her eyes, she realised that a river was flowing nearby, and it was the only sound around. The next morning just proved what a picturesque little spot this was. A little hidden gem. And all for free. And so well kept.

It just reminded us what getting the campervan was all about.