Recently, Nomads Fat Camel and Mad Travel offered me an amazing opportunity. I have already written a couple sponsored posts for them so far, and since they dig my work, they wanted to send me on a Stray Bus trip from Auckland to Wellington. I will be breaking down each awesome day of the trip into separate posts, and letting you know which activities along the way were best to check out!

I woke up on Christmas Eve to hop on the Stray Bus with no clue what to expect. I was given my itinerary the night before packed with excursions, and I have heard good things about Stray, but I was still feeling a little naive.

Once I was checked off the list by our driver Nana, I hopped on and got settled in. Instantly other backpackers were sparking conversations, warming up to each other, and sharing stories. They were also quite intrigued by the large plaster camel I was carrying around with me, but Clarence makes for a great icebreaker.

After a couple of hours driving south we reached our first stop, Hot Water Beach in the Whitianga region. Everyone that has been there has raved about this beach, and I was excited to finally check it out. We only stayed for about an hour, bummer, but I still had some time to test the waters.

Boiling Water

The geothermal activity in the area can really get the water boiling, some of the other people in the group actually burned their feet. You would think once you put your foot in the boiling water, you would take it out before that happens. But I guess it’s like telling a little kid not to touch the hot stove. If you let some of the cooler ocean water in your hot tub, it can be an awesome spot to chill out in all day. I have to go back here.

We boarded back on and headed out toward Hahei beach, and the ever famous Cathedral Cove. The small beach town is know for being the crossing place of Polynesian explorer Kupe, who is said to be the one that discovered Aotearoa, aka New Zealand.

After I figured out how to get a camel strapped on to a kayak (it was not very easy) my new friend Jess, Clarence the Camel, and I were slid into the waves and out to sea.

The first waves crash over you, foam and salt water slosh up into your face. It was slightly disorienting, or maybe that is my excuse for steering so terribly at first.

It is intense. The waves crash over you as you try to paddle out as fast as you can. You have to steer the kayak, and try to paddle in sync with the person setting the pace up front. Learning to steer with the pedals, and paddle at the same time was like trying to rub your belly, pat your head, and hop on one leg all at once.

I probably looked a tad bit foolish at first. The guide was yelling to go straight, I was veering right, and it took me a couple of minutes to get it down.

Once I had my feet working together with my arms, we were smooth paddling and ahead of the pack. Our guide Mike told us to head out to an Island in the distance, then all join together so he can tell us a bit of history.

Mike asked all of us to look at the island in the distance, and guess which part of a male’s body it resembled. He said it was important to the history of the bay, and kept pushing for someone to call out an answer, so I gave a shout.

Yep, I was the immature one who yelled out, “Penis!”. I was dead wrong and far off, but come on, it wasn’t THAT bad of a guess…right? I won’t tell you what it ended up being, but feel free to give your opinion.

We made our way to another island, and a sea tunnel that we could paddle through. Birds were perched on a rock outcropping close by watching like an audience. When I got close, I’ll admit, I was a little nervous.

The dark water heaves up and down, slapping into the coral covered rock walls, threatening to throw you right into the sides. It was all on me of course being the one steering, but we made it through, and the feeling was awesome when you get through that small gauntlet.

Finally we reached Narnia! White rock pillars climb out of the sea, the fiery red Pohutukawa trees growing out of every crevice, gorgeous. The massive stone arch was fascinating, and knowing that the sea will one day wash it away as it did the others made it feel pretty damn special.

The white rock is actually made up of pumice, ya know, that stone that people scrub their feet with? The winds from the sea whip through the stone arch, shaping and eventually destroying them. But the effect for now creates beautiful sea caves like the one above.

Lining the interior of the cave were messages left by people using the soft stone that has fallen down. I left the message, “Live Life”.  What would be your message if you wrote one on a landmark that disappears more and more each day?

Imagine sitting on a white sand beach watching the sparkling blue water crash in front of you while enjoying a coffee not served to anyone else. Sound nice? Because it was.

The guides whipped out a coffee kit and made us lattes on the beach while we regenerated our energy. Probably the best coffee I have ever had, take that Starbucks! They don’t serve surreal in their caramel macchiato.

For you Narnia film buffs out there, this is definitely the spot to check out. Don’t expect any centaurs galloping on the beach, but Cathedral Cove does offer some of the best sights in the peninsula. I haven’t seen the film yet, but either way it was still damn beautiful. No wonder every kiwi flocks to the Coromandel for their getaway.

By the time we got back to Hahei Beach our arms were on fire, and the last stretch felt like forever. But it felt great at the same time. Knowing we worked for the journey there, and being on the dark blue water while hearing about the history was awesome. I wouldn’t experience Cathedral Cove any other way, though you can hike to Cathedral Cove from Hahei beach. If you want to go in style, and get a decent work out, kayaking it where it’s at!

Has anyone else been to Cathedral Cove, or done the Kayaking trip?

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