Cathedral Cove

I'm so behind! So much has happened since I was in the Coromandel, but let's go step by step.

The Coromandel is known as one of the nicest beach areas in the North Island, most particularly, a place called Cathedral Cove and you can understand the name just by looking at the pictures. It truly is a beautiful place.

I waited a while before going there. Wanting to avoid the weekend crowds, I decided to go on a Monday with Yuka. I had been in the Coromandel for a week and would be leaving on the Tuesday. But because this is the life that is mine, every day of the week was beautiful and it is only when I decided to go to Cathedral Cove that it was cloudy and dark. So the colors are not quite as bright as they must be in other conditions, but you'll get a taste for the natural beauty of the area.

You cannot drive right up to the different coves, but must walk along a well-maintained path. Cathedral Cove is the furthest along the path, taking about 30 minutes to get there. Along the way is Gemstone Bay, which is where the bulk of the snorkeling is done. We had rented snorkeling gear and an underwater camera with the intention of seeing some beautiful sea-life. We decided to start with Cathedral Cove, though, and then walk back towards the other bays on the way to the car.

Along the path to Cathedral Cove

Spider's Castle

Love the quails' lovely little hats!

Cathedral Cove beach

Ditto

Koru (Unfurling fern)


Koru close-up
Cathedral Cove

These beaches remind me of some of the beaches in Haiti, when looking at the clarity of the water. Granted the water's much colder, but you guys can pretend it's warm.

We went snorkeling at Cathedral Cove but I didn't see any living things in the water! So we decided to go to Stingray Bay. I wanted to take some pictures of some stingray up close!

Stingray Bay

Stingray Bay

I saw a snapper in the water, but that was it! It was getting really dark and the water was really choppy, murky and cold! So we didn't stay there long. We decided to go to our last stop, Gemstone Bay.

Gemstone Bay

But by the time we got there, we had lost our courage to go into the water, what with the temperature of the air, the water and the murkiness of the water. So we headed back to the car, a bit disappointed by the lack of sealife, but happy that we had still gotten a chance to go there to begin with.

I do recommend going to the Coromandel when in the North Island. It's gorgeous country. But make sure you leave space open for the occasional cloudy day. Stay a day or two longer, if you have to, so that you can see this area in the best of conditions.

Snorkeling gear cost $20/day and the underwater camera $25/day. Not a bad deal, overall!

On our way back to the car, along the path, I did get a nice surprise. I had been looking for this for a while and was stoked to see it along the way. View video below.