Hahei and Cathedral Cove

In the morning I look the south route (25A) around the Coromandel Forest, through the mountains, rather than the longer route around the coast, because I was tired of driving. The south route proved to be challenging but spectacular. It's through the mountains with sharp twists and turns and sudden climpses of the coast. When making roads through the mountains they need to consider the bends and the grade. Older roads were made for horse and buggy so in order to minimize the grade, they maximize the number of bends. Modern cars can cope with driving uphill, but the constant turning is tiring for a driver. Suddenly, I was in Hahei, and there was the beach. It felt like it was about 25 C, and sunny. After a much needed coffee, I began to hike towards Cathedral Cove. After climbing the hills I was hot.



Earth science nerd photo.




Cathedral Cove gets its name from the spectacular, naturally formed near Gothic arch in the sandstone.



It was so nice I went swimming. Many people followed. The local Kiwis were incredulous and asked, "In the winter?" I believe we define that word differently.



There was a natural fresh water waterfall as a shower.



As I left I met two renegade sheep, making a break for the beach.