We have reservations to go to White Island this afternoon. White Island is home to an active marine volcano. It last erupted in 2012 and steam issues continuously from the many vents and the central crater. We relaxed in the morning and left the camp ground around 10. We drove from Ohope Beach where we spent the night to Whakatane (note Wh in Maori is pronounced as an f), about a 15 minute drive. We stopped at Kopi Point Lookout in Whakatane and saw beautiful views of the shore. Here are some pictures.
We did our daily grocery run and when we returned to the van we called the tour company to make sure they hadn’t canceled. We learned that the seas were too rough for them to dock the boat and they had canceled the afternoon trip. We were disappointed. They were full for Saturday but had some openings for Sunday. We told them to refund our money but that we may rebook for Sunday. We decided to head to Coromandel. We planned to go to Hot Water Beach which was about a 3½ hour drive.
Just outside of Whakatane we stopped at Julian’s Berry Farm and Café for strawberry ice cream, Rick’s favorite! While we were there we were talking to a lady about berries and somehow we got talking about Hot Water Beach. She said the next beach north, HeHai, had a really nice campground right on the ocean. She told us that the Hot Water Beach campground was not on the ocean, but on an estuary. So we took her advice and headed to Hehai. I know I have said this before but everyone is so friendly. They take the time to talk to us. They want to hear about our trip. They are willing to share their experiences with us. It’s really delightful.
We wandered through small towns and up and over mountains on very twisty, curvy roads eventually arriving in Hehai. We got to the campground and it had two beachfront sites available, so we took one. We have a nice big site that is close to the ocean but we can’t actually see the ocean. The beach is really beautiful. After getting settled I went for a walk on the beach.
When I came back I suggested Rick get his camera because the light was really good. After taking his picture he started taking to a nice couple, John and Ina, from Whakatane, who are staying in cabins at the campground. They invited us to visit them in Whakatane if we go back on Sunday. Rick talks to everyone and makes new friends everywhere he goes.
We had a nice dinner in the camper.