Hot Water Beach or bust.

Some breathtaking New Zealand scenery along our journeys.

We love tidbits of travel information from locals. We were told of a Hot Water Beach where you can dig your own 'Hot Tub' in certain parts of the beach where the volcanic tubes heat the water from underneath but .... you need to wait until low tide, so this only works at certain times of the day... but you need to dig deep, trying not to let the cold ocean water in.... but you have to have something to dig with... we were up for the challenge. We were headed to Matamata so we took a little detour, isn't that what travel is all about?

WOW!

We stopped in the little town of Tairua close to Hot Water Beach for something very important... food. We not only had food but we had a culinary experience at Manaia! Everything was incredibly fresh, gourmet, and hit just the right spot.

We needed towels for our beach visit so we stopped after lunch at an 'Opt shop' (better known to us as a 2nd hand store) which you can find all over Australia and NZ -- 4 towels and two bowls later (to dig the sand) -- total cost $4.

Dale kept digging by himself while others did the same until they all started working together. That is when it all came together.

We had to keep adding to the edge nearest the water to keep that cold ocean water away but then that was half the fun.

This was the best multi-country community hot tub ever. Our time was spent enjoying conversations with many new friends.

Travel Saving Tips:

1- Ask locals about activities that they enjoy in the area you are visiting. On this particular day, we had the Hot Water Beach recommended to us and we were not disappointed. Better yet it was FREE... a bit off our path but worth a little extra gas.

2- We did not want to pack towels with us to NZ so we bought some at a local 'Opt Shop'. We bought 4 towels and 2 bowls to dig in the sand (otherwise they charge you to rent one at the beach) ... all for $4. Never be afraid to buy items from a 2nd hand stores when you need something that might be only used a time or two, you can't beat the prices.