Residents in Aotearoa: Part 5...Hot Water Beach

Tuesday, 15 May 2018

Part 5...Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach is a unique place. It isn't as impressive visually as Cathedral Cove or Mare's Leg Beaches are, but it has one thing neither of them has. It has Hot Water!

There are places on the beach where you can dig down through the sand and hit geothermally heated water, bubbling up from below. You can bring your own shovel or rent one at the beach and excavate your very own sandy hottub. Of course, you'll have plenty of neighbors. And we noticed that the waves have a way of filling the hottubs in, but that didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the diggers we saw.

There is a little stream to cross to get to the beach

Hmmm, where's the hot water do you suppose?

Maybe going where that group of people is might be a good idea.

Yup, we found it. There aren't too many people here right now, but those who are are actively digging. The geothermal springs are in line with those off-shore rocks. Convenient...

We're kind of tired. We've been in the waves and sand for several hours already, so here, we're just on-lookers.

I'm going to do a quick exploration and take some pictures.

The first thing I notice is that the rocks here are very sharp. Amiri appears to be sitting on one but I wouldn't advise rubbing bare skin across any of these surfaces.

Look at the little cave I found.

It appears to have been formed by a number of large pieces of cliff breaking off and falling against one another. I didn't invite the boys into this one. I was pretty sure it wouldn't collapse on me, but why take chances?

It has a little hole in the 'roof.' I'm looking straight up here.

The opening is a fairly snug fit for a man like me of 'mature' dimensions.

Look at those colors in the rocks.

I found a few limpets hanging around on these rocks, waiting for the tide to return, but I couldn't persuade any of them to let loose and come home with me.

We had had a very full day. It felt great to sit in the car and have Allie drive us home again. And what a thoughtful daughter she is. After she dropped us off, she went out again and brought home Chinese takeaway.

The weather forecast for tomorrow sounds a bit 'iffy.' We're going to bed tonight, crossing our fingers that we'll be able to enjoy our time then on the beach just across the harbor from Whitianga. It's quite a famous place after all. -djf

(and since I'm writing this post after the fact...I can tell you not to worry for us...everything turned out great..)

2 comments:

Dianne16 May 2018 at 09:02
This beach has quite a different style and feel to it from the others but it's still beautiful. I wonder if some of those rocks are so sharp and jagged due to being the result of more recent geologic activity - and the yellow color in the rocks might be from sulfur? I love those 'limpet rocks' - they look like turtles!

Did you get to dig out your own hot tub on the beach? that would have been such a 'cool' way to relax after all the hiking you did!
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Doug Foster16 May 2018 at 12:15
I know very little geology so I can't answer your questions. However, I have noted that some rock on volcanic Rangitoto is Very sharp. There is also natural weathering going on which will wear away softer parts of any rock, leaving behind the harder, possibly sharper bits.
We could have joined the crowd who was digging, but we just observed. We had been in the sand and surf for quite some time at the other beaches and did not want to get wet and covered in sand again.
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My deer blind, a place outside of time and space.

This is a picture of my deer hunting blind. I built in in 1975 and used it until about 2010. I'm publishing this picture and text on November 15 of 2022, the opening day of Michigan's rifle deer hunting season, to remember all the years I spent sitting there and occasionally harvesting a deer. I think that the meat I provided for my family was only a small portion of the benefit I received from hunting in this manner. Of greater value to me was the time I spent alone, watching the forest and its many components interact. I had time to unwind from the stresses of my work, to appreciate our world, and even sometimes to pray. That blind was a refuge to me. It was cozy, and comfortable and I spent much more time filming the activities of not only deer, but bears, racoons, turkeys, squirrels, hawks, and once, even a snowy owl, than I did harvesting deer. May I suggest to all of you that you try to find some time and a place, where you can be alone, and where you can ponder and appreciate your life and your place in the world. It does a body good. -djf