Sat’day 27 Nov

Started off at 8 AM. Loaded the monster luggage into the trailer behind the bus and set off out of Auckland. We stopped for pics at Mt. Eden. We saw the arena for the 2011 Rugby World Cup from our peak. We kept on driving towards Hahei (the breath of Hei, a Maori chief) with a stopover in Thames. When we got to our campsite we dumped our stuff, changed into our swimmers and head for the beach for 3 hour of sea kayaking around Mercury Bay! We went along the shoreline to Coromandel Cove, had tea on the beach, paddled around the little islands, hooked together and sailed for a bit, then paddled back to the beach we started from. The waves were a bit choppy but it was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done! Nerissa and I swapped places in our double kayak so we each had a turn steering. As our tour guide, Marky Mark, would say “easy as!” When we got back we loaded the bus and took the short jump to Hot Water Beach. We dug holes in the sand and sat in the geothermal hot pools. Nature’s own spa! After a shower and some napping in the sun, we had an amazing barbeque provided by our bus driver/guide! Chicken, veggie medley, gluten free bread, asparagus, capsicum, and strawberries for dessert. =) Played a few games of shithead with the group before calling it a night. We are a fairly small tour group. There is only 6 of us total, 7 including our guide Ali BarBar.