The Corremandel

This weekend has been one of the most spontaneous surprise weekends yet! Cassie, Allison and I decided we weren't quite ready to quit traveling yet so we hired (rented) a rental car and set off Friday for the Coremandel! Cassie and Allison's host parents have a bach (beach house) in Whangamata and we decided it was the perfect place for a getaway! After having a few issues getting out of town (brilliant brittany asked to pick the car up from the airport instead of the city-cost us 1.5 hours in time to correct that mistake) we were finally on the road! Little did we know the drive to the Coremandel is treacherous! The amount of winds and twines and cliffs we drove through was insane! Not to mention it was raining, fogging, and pitch black out! My driving skills were tested to the max with these ungodly roads. Allison learned firsthand what true carsickness feels like and spent most of the ride with her head out the window. By the grace of god we made it safely to our lovely bach!

Stopping to get some dinner we headed back to the bach in the freezing rain to bunker down with a sappy girly movie and bottle of wine. Such a relaxing evening and exactly what I needed!

This morning we woke up and had a delicious breakfast at a local cafe. Then we were off to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach! Cathedral Cove was never on the schedule and yet this stop was by far my favorite! Narnia was filmed at cathedral cove and the sights were breathtaking! Allison and I even climbed out on the rocks to get an up close and personal feel of the waves! The waves were crashing all around us. It felt so surreal to be in a place of such beauty. Definitely a highlight!

Next was Hot Water Beach. Here we dug a hole in the sand with 100 other tourists. Volcanic springs beneath the sand allow you to dig holes that will fill with hot water. It's like sitting in a very sandy hot tub that you have to dig yourself! Haha but really it was very cool and we really enjoyed doing it! Then we were back off for a 3 hour drive to Auckland for the Blues game! We picked up Jordan and met up with friends at the game! It was so fun and I'm starting to become a true rugby fan!

This weekend was an incredible surprise. Every moment was filled with something new and something beautiful. I am left with two weeks in the most beautiful place I've ever experienced. How do you say goodbye?