The day started with Kerry (or Possum, as he was called him during our trip) and his two trainees. After a short picture-stop at Mount Eden in Auckland we headed south towards the Coromandel Peninsula.
Another highlight for the day was a Stop at Hot Water Beach where everyone could grab a shovel and dig a hole in the sand to soak in the hot geothermal water. Once a quiet and secret spot for locals to hang out it has unfortunately (but understandable) become a very crowed place for tourists. I almost burned my feet there! Kerry recommended, that if we ever come back to New Zealand to go to the Hot water beach at night during full moon as there are no people there and its an excellent experience.
October 4, 2005, Hahei to Raglan
We started the day with a three hour walk around Cathedral Cove (the Maori name is Te Whanganui-A-Hei) and and a short visit of the beautifull Bridal Veil Falls. We then carried on to Raglan to stay at the Rainforest Retreat. The Hostel was really nice and layed back, no doors where locked and they had a lot of activities, like the flying fox (you have to experience it by yourself at night). In Raglan most of the group went surfing and ultimately decided to stay at that nice little paradise a couple of extra days with just a few of the group carrying on – including me.