Final Days

For the last two days that Jackie and Tim were here, we decided to show them a few of the Auckland beaches. On Friday we packed a picnic lunch and took them to Piha, one of our favorite beaches on the west coast. The weather was great, sun with a few clouds (protection), the sand was hot and overall it was a great day. Everyone (but me) enjoyed a swim in the ocean and Tim and Jeremy hiked to the top of Lion Rock to have a look at the Tasman Sea from high above the water.

On our way back to the city we stopped at a fruit and veggie shop. We picked up loads of fresh food for very little money, which we were excited about. For dinner we hosted some of our NZ friends for a BBQ - so Tim and Jackie got to meet some more PwC people.

Saturday morning we were up early for a little road trip. Jeremy drove us 2.5 hours to the Coromandel Peninsula on NZ's east coast. We were in search of Hot Water Beach. Its name comes from underground hot springs which filter up through the sand between the high and low water tidal reaches. Within two hours either side of low tide, it is possible to dig into the sand allowing hot water to escape to the surface forming a hot water pool. The water temperature which can be as hot as 64ºC (147ºF). Visitors often dig large holes and relax and soak in the thermal water, so we attempted to do just that.

We rented a shovel (spade here) and found hot water spots without a problem. The problem for us was the waves kept coming in and overflowing our warm "tub". After about ten attempts, we had enough, snapped some photos and hit the road for our next destination.

We wanted to have a picnic lunch at Cathedral Cove, which is a beautiful beach - 45 minutes walking from the road. We enjoyed another picnic and the weather was almost as nice as the day before (just a few more clouds). The water and waves were so great that everyone, including me, swam for a while.
We wrapped up our amazing vacation with a few drinks in Auckland's Viaduct by our apartment. Tim and Jackie packed up for their trip home (via one week in Sydney) and we dropped them off at the airport at 4:30 Sunday morning. We were sad to see them go, but knew that all good things must come to an end. It was back to work for us on Monday but as you know, we always have more adventures up our sleeves!!!