Day 50: Cathedral Cove — Matt Goes Exploring

Fifty days. Wow. Part of me feels like it flew by, while another part feels like I've been out here forever. Fifty though. That's definitely a big milestone. What a day too, let me tell you all about it.

I was aroused from my slumber this morning when my roommate and the other bunch of people who were traveling on the "Kiwi Experience" bus trip left for Waitomo. They didn't have a second day here like me. It was a very different day though. Yesterday there were a bunch of people my age in the surrounding cottages, using the kitchens and going down to the beach. Today it was basically just me. It is nice to have this room to myself though.

I knew today I wanted to go to the nearby Cathedral Cove, a very scenic beach area with fantastic rock formations. I had seen signs all around that it was a ten minute car ride away. So this morning I stopped by the reception desk to ask if there was a shuttle of some kind. There wasn't.

But they I could either take a $40 van ride with some woman, hitch a ride, or rent a bike. I decided to get a bike. The price for the bike rental went from $15 to $10 at noon, and since it was already 10:00 I decided to take the two hours and go down to Hot Water Beach.

It was quite magnificent in the daylight, I'll include some photos here:

I didn't want to walk right up to the strangers digging holes and take pictures of them, but here's Hot Water Beach from a slight distance.

Turn from the water and there's still great rocks and trees to look at.

(Actually, unfortunately, the service here is so bad that I can't upload any photos here, so I'll have to add some tomorrow. Make sure to come check tomorrow, but I'll remind you in tomorrow's post as well.)

After taking my time to wander down the beach I made my way back to the hotel park in time for my bike.

I haven't ridden a bike since Galway, and today reminded me a lot of that bike ride on Inis Oir (check out one of my earlier posts if you haven't). Not only because I was on a bike but also because of the landscape. Anywhere that wasn't a steep cliff or tall hill has been turned into grazing pastures for cows and sheep.

I also must say how unprepared I was for this bike ride. The hills and valleys along the road were a little too much for a bike to handle. To give you an idea of what it was like; it took me an hour and a half to reach Cathedral Cove, but only half that time to get back.

It was certainly worth it though. The path to Cathedral Cove wove through dense forest that gave way in intervals for spectacular ocean views.

The whole hike down was about forty five minutes, and it let out right onto the beach. Immediately to my right was the "cathedral," an arch formed in the middle of a rock over time by water erosion. It's really amazing the things that nature can create.

I tried not to take my time because I didn't want to be caught on the road when the sun went down. But it was hard to tear myself away from this beautiful cove. There were several other coves that had forked the path down to Cathedral Cove but I forced myself to skip them in the interest of time. But on the way back, I let myself explore. If I was on the road when it was a little dark then ok, I wasn't going to be here again for who knows how long.

Both of the smaller coves were different but great. They both led not onto beaches but onto rocks that were half submerged in the water. While not the most comfortable thing in the world it gave me a great place to sit for a few minutes, watching the waves roll in and the clouds fly by.

As the day grew later darker rain clouds rolled in, showering the area for a few minutes and then passing by, letting the sun back in. I had to deal with a little rain, but my darkest fears of biking home in a torrential downpour were not realized. Good thing too because this was the one time I didn't bring my rain jacket with me.

Getting back was much more downhill so I made better time than I expected. I was still quite exhausted though. All told I biked about sixteen kilometers today, not to mention the hiking and walking I also accomplished.

I forgot to mention yesterday that for dinner I finally cooked something. I was kinda forced to since there aren't any restaurants around here. I bough some pasta and tomato sauce from reception and cooked it up. I know, not that impressive, but still.

Tonight I stepped it up a notch. I bough a sleeve of bacon from reception, cooked the whole thing, and finished off the bag of pasta. I was quite hungry from a day of exploration, and the bacon was exactly I what the pasta needed. Last night it wasn't too great.

I though about heading down to the hot water again tonight, but ultimately decided against it. I already had a great experience with the beach, and tonight wouldn't be the same with so few people around. I don't mind though. I had that experience last night and I had a great experience today too. Plus I'm still pretty tired from the bike, and really full from dinner.

So I've rented the second Lord of the Rings movie from reception for two dollars and I'll have a nice relaxing night watching that. Tomorrow I'm off to Rotorua, which is where I will see Hobbiton. But the tour won't be until the next day, so there's still time to be excited.

Thanks for reading and here's to tomorrow.