Simpsons Beach
The bach we were staying in was literally 10 meters from Simpsons Beach. Every morning the sun came up in front of our house. Gracefuly, the golden, warm, bright rays filled our lounge each morning. At Simpsons Beach we went swimming most days, kayaking almost every day, and fishing every now and again.
Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach was a stunning experience. We arrived at the steaming sand with our shovels and spades. Hot feet told us we were at the right spot. We dumped our towels and bags under a shady pohutahkawa tree, found a spot, then started digging. Slowly we formed a family sized pit/spa. After a while we realised that the water was getting too hot to relax in, so we made some smaller ones nearer to the sea. Finally we had finished our pools. Tiredly, we relaxed in the hot, spring water, soaking up the sun for hours. It was confusingly amazing to be able to sit in a natural spa about 4 meters away from the ocean. By lunch time the beach was a mass of hot muddy puddles. People swarmed the beach like moths to a lamp. By the end of my time at hot water beach I was as pink as Pepa Pig.
Hahei Beach
Hahei still had a fair amount of people at it but much less than Hot Water Beach. The water was so clear that I could see all the way past my toes, and to the sea floor when I swam out past my depth! I also liked relaxing on the sand and eating my ice cream. (Ice creams were also a definate plus at Hahei.)
Otama Beach
To my surprise, the sand at Otama was sqeaky just like at Australia! I did some research and found out that the sand squeaks because each grain of sand is so finely rounded and sphere like that it is the perfect shape to squeak when they rub together. So when you walk on the sand the sand, particles rub together making the sand squeak. I liked Otama beach because it had a rope swing that I could play on. But the squeaky sand made me miss australia 😢. The water at Otama wasn't as nice as the other spots though because it was a windy day when we went and the water was choppy. Again with the wind, I didn't enjoy all the sand blowing around when I was relaxing on my towel.
Lonely Bay
Lonely Bay was by far my favorite beach. It was practically deserted. The clarity of the water was insane! Big rocks poked out of the water like mini islands that we could jump off into the water. The beach was small and sheltered, and the sun shone the whole time we were there. Lonely bay was like our own little slice of paradise.
Here are some photos of SOME of the beaches because I didn't take photos at some of them.
