Into the mountains and to the sea

Our first day on the road began early in the morning mists of Auckland as we started south, thankfully against the growing morning traffic. We ventured across the flat farmlands, through to Thames, and finally into the mountains. The family got their first taste of the winding roads that meander across the rugged landscape of New Zealand. The second thing that became quickly apparent was the lack of shoulders to the roads as we found ourselves looking for places to pull over and take pictures of the emerging landscape. As we descended out of the clouds and through more farmland overrun with swollen rivers, we were greeted by a vivid rainbow. Venturing now into the sunlight, we arrived on the coastline for a much needed pit stop before more mountains and winding roads. The view however had shifted from clouded jungle mountain to rocky cliffs and endless sea. Our weary travelers were much relieved to have arrived at our first big road trip destination, Cathedral Cove. With tired eyes and an energy fueled by pure excitement, we trekked over rocky paths and through lush green jungle to the beautiful coastal scenery filled with rock formations formed by the constant attack of the rolling waves.

The namesake of this area is a great cathedral cavern carved through the rock wall, framing the white shores and monolithic rock outcroppings. Naturally, Dad thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures of everything, so many pictures that it seemed that at the rate he was taking them, he might easily surpass the kilometres traveled in number of pictures. In all fairness though, even the huge number of photos will only be able to capture a small bit of the trip and the rugged beauty of New Zealand.

The beaches were spectacular with their soft white sand and monolithic structures topped by an assortment of very hardy plants. These structures highlighted well the relentless power of the ocean, with the bases being undercut by erosion. Fortunately, we didn't have to rely on Derek supporting the rock above him.

We also, not at all to our surprise, found we were not the first of our Countrymen to visit this picturesque part of the coastline. Among the many names and countries carved into the wall of the rock, we found Canada, etched into the stone cliff as a long-lasting, but far from permanent reminder given the high erosion of the area.

Tired and weary still, we took a moment to pause and rest in our own ways, some taking pictures, some just stretching their legs, while others took any excuse to climb something as they always have.

Once rested we headed down the road to attempt to reach hot water beach. Unfortunately the tide was well on it's way in now  and the expanse of flats that normally would allow one to easily dig down to the warm waters flowing up and out of the ground were currently under the rolling waves. This however would be the first of many pit stops for lunch, breaking out the bread, peanut butter, and jam that the whole family would surpass their yearly quota of before the trip was through. Getting latter into the afternoon we headed towards our accommodations in Tauranga, but before arriving, we decided we needed to get out and stretch our legs again, perhaps wake up a bit for those that had recently arrived. We pulled into yet another beach, in a place called Onemana. This far more beige coloured sandy beach was littered with shells and home to the endangered New Zealand dotterel. These birds did not show too much fear, coming almost right up to us for some great photo shoots. We relaxed in the cool ocean breeze, before hitting the road once again on the last leg of this day's venture.

As we sat around the hotel room, having pet the local dog and eaten lots of well earned pasta, we reflected on the first traveling day. We had learned the hard way that sunscreen is a must in New Zealand, as the family spent a good deal of time rubbing the Aloe on all the red surfaces. Everyone was still in awe of the unique views from Cathedral Cove, which had set a precedent for the rest of the trip. Tired and happy we headed off to bed with images of a day of beaches and thinking of the day to come in the volcanic valley!