Whitianga and Cathedral Cove

At the suggestion of our landlady, we drove up the Coromandel peninsular to Whitianga on Mercury bay and then up the hill of the reserve at Ferry landing on the Cooks Beach side of the bay for the view. 

We drove from the south, but the road took us to the northern side of the estuary and we needed to take the ferry South to get to the reserve. 

Part of the old stone wharf, built in 1838 for use in the timber industry. 

We clambered up the hill 

It was difficult near the top; we had to bend almost double to go under tree branches, but the views were worth it. 

We met people near the top of the hill who suggested that our next stop should be Cathedral Cove rather than Cooks Beach. We thought that it sounded more inviting and so that was our next stop. The car park was completely full when we got there, so John had to do a bit of 'French creative parking'. Cathedral Cove is a 45 minute walk away from the parking, so cars don't just roll up and move on.  

There are two other bays on the way, Gem bay and Stingray bay. This is the view from the carpark with gem bay in the foreground. Stingray beach is only just visible and a large rock at Cathedral Cove is clearly visible. 

We passed these lilies on our way

A yellow hammer with a cicada in its beak

Cathedral cove is aptly named; it feels just like the nave of a church or cathedral. 

Through the arch, there were good waves and plenty of people enjoying the sea. 

Inside the arch

We returned to the car (not towed away, fortunately) and back to our B&B, driving through countryside like this

After eating out in the evening, we saw a good sunset on our way back to the B&B

At the B&B we enjoyed our cheese plate (provided by the B&B) while chatting to our fellow guests from Leipzig in Germany.