Paradise does not even come close to Coromandel Peninsula

SOLO ADVENTURING FOR MY MINI TRIP OUT INTO THE 'UNKNOWN' - 

Knowing me, it will be fraught with peril, calamity and hilarity every step of the way! As per normal with my insatiable appetite, not nearly 5 minutes after arriving in purty Hahei and checking into my cutesy lodge - food was foremost on my mind. As there wasn't a huge amount of choice in this teeny weeny village, I ordered an ELVIS from the pizza place. 

Upon collection and sitting down to munch .. it was instant regret; all 9" worth. Elvis was caked in pieces of pig (more generally known as ham), hairy anchovy bits, with barely any tommie sauce to go with the capsicum and olives. Most of the toppings were picked off my eight slices of disappointment; not that I could bring myself to swallow the final 2!

VENTURED OFF TO HAVE HAHEI SHOW ME ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS IT HAS TO OFFER - 

Everything in the immediate vicinity can be seen in 30 minutes but it is abundantly clear that the Peninsula's slogan 'good for the soul' is spot on. I thank it for giving me life. Hahei and the happiness I feel stirring in my heart has already taken a firm hold of every blood vessel in this organ. The sand on the local beach is impeccable with pink tints interspersed in the grains. I saw sweet couples strolling arm in arm down the beach and I was envious of their love. 

Not even 6 hours of being here and I have already been attacked by mozzies who have been feasting on my flesh!!!! I had a quiet night in with my journal, my itchaaaaayyyy bites and my white choc and macadamia nut cookies. 

IT'S HARD NOT TO HAVE A GREAT TIME HERE - 

Rose with the 'lark' and set off to break in my hiking boots and initially all was fine and dandy. It was the way back when my ankle rubbed against the footwear; the skin peeled off as though it would blister. Trudged uphill a bit to Cathedral Cove and it had me huffing and puffing like the Big, Bad Wolf. How will I ever manage to scale the dizzying heights of Tongariro?!! Why am I voluntarily looking to torture myself?

The background noisiness is not soothing to any degree! It's more like the cichadas want to kill me and are baying for my blood with their racket. Is it these bugs who are terrorising my skin with their gnashers, like miniature insect vampires?!

ALL THAT IS GREEN, CAN ALWAYS BE SEEN - 

NZ nature is inherently better than most other parts of the world. Some areas are a tropical jungle and the water iridescence is not even fair! Cathedral Cove is just as mystical as the Narnia movies it features in. My visitation was timed just right as the morning was cooler, the tide was out (enabling us to walk through the cove) and there weren't swarms of holiday makers. I bet the beach is bedlam during the height of summer. 

Though it has been seen many times on TV, it still can't compare to appreciating it in real life. Like the rest of the tourists, I took pic after pic as I found the timer function on my phone for improved selfies. None of these do any justice for this place of wonder but still sights like this make my heart race. 

A NATURAL MARVEL OF THE UNIVERSE - 

This little lady is never happier than when I am in the presence of the planet's prettiness and I certainly went to one of the rarest jewels of all. I couldn't help myself from copying the silhouette shot beneath the picturesque, crag arch as I stood upon a rock; twas in exactly the perfecto spot for a super snap as though that was its very purpose. 

Waves crashed ferociously against the shore; so much so that the conditions were too atrocious for the water taxi to operate. I'd been counting on that as a lift back to Hahei to avoid repeating the hour or so hike .. it wasn't to be. Trotting turned to limping sorely downhill; on this route I decided to switch things up and venture through the woods for some shade and a change of scenery. It was then that the pain on my left, lower heel seared and had become grossly, red raw under the skin. 

THINGS GOT A LITTLE SPONTANEOUS - 

Subsequent to a single scoop of Tip Top's lime swirl, artificially flavoured gloop (which isn't anything to write home about) I pounced as would a panther, on an unsuspecting TJ to friendship him as he drove up in his car to Tahati Lodge. He, Angelique and I sniffed out dinner from the slim pickings down the street then played a round of cards with Fliss, Mowgli (real name - Jean-Baptiste), Sandra and the guy from Austria who supposedly looked like the lead from The Hangover movie.

Knowing that the tide time was 9.56pm and that we had 2 hours either side of this interval to relax in self-dug, hot springs , we carpooled on down to Hot Water Beach for 7.15pm. I personally wasn't expecting many if ANYone to already have turned up but dozens had pipped us to the post.

DIG AND DIG AND DIG AND DIGGITY DIG - 

With the spades on loan to us from our lodgings, we dug tirelessly to almost no avail. The tide kept swamping our burrows as we made a mess, heaping up sand. I rapidly excused myself from boring into the beach as a) I don't dig it and b) I was muy wretched. The guys gave a sterling effort but we had the good sense to call it a day as we were unlucky in the spots we shovelled. No matter how well we barricaded our trench or the depth of sand we trowelled - the water temp remained tepid or luke warm at best. 

A communal effort to spa kicked in and we hopped in with two lads nearby. It went from MEH with the fruitless digging to a sorta cool twilight as we chilled with our chilled drinks of choice -- mine of course being a ginger beer Bundaberg. 

IT WAS A NIGHT TO BE YOUNG, FOOLISH AND HAPPY - 

Bathing in mineral hot springs while bonding with relative strangers in the darkness, sharing laughs and science facts (such as: all rainbows are 360 degrees but only half is generally visible to the naked eye) can now be knocked off the bucket list. I was doing exactly what I do best - RELAXING. I did it so superbly I ought to have the superhero name Rianne the Relaxer!

It was bedazzling to soak under the twinkling starlight! The Milky Way came out for us as an additional, beautiful bonus while in a 100% natural, geothermal tub; nothing can beat it. This strange phenomena as we kicked back and did *nothing* is only the coolest/hottest experience in the world. Near the end of the eve, a scorching undercurrent burnt all our behinds and we sprang up to locate colder water. Who knew our impromptu beach party 'rager' would make for such a lovely, jubbly night?

Noodles? Lanterns? I'm SO there!!

IT'S FUN FOR 8 TO 80 - 

I invited the gang to come to the Lantern Festival at the Domain with me on the Friday evening. Jessica and I were first on the scene; recognising that it would be nigh on impossible to find our friends within the heaving crowd I set the War Museum hilltop as a meeting place. Hinsan got to us with ease but Kaitlin, Rachel, Graham, Pen and Lin had it confused with the duck pond :D tee hee! They found us in the end.

This place was like party central and I was very laughed at in my state of hyperactivity. Stupidly, I took food from the plate of a stranger after the guy freely offered it up for me to sample as I'd been pestering him on whether or not it was tasty. Honey chicken, it was love at first bite; as this life changer of a dish was so so SOOOO too yum, I then had to obtain a portion for my own.  

THE LANTERN FESTIVAL WAS LIT AND SO ARE MY FRIENDIES - 

Lanterns were scattered and shining from above in the leafy treetops and all around. I marveled at all the dazzling lanterns - the Chinese scenes, penguins and African safari animals in particular. But none more so than the plum adorable pandas in lantern form, for no woman ever loved a panda more than I L-O-V-E them. 

Connecting with Johannah's culture is important to me and it was majorly cool how the gardens were brought to life. If only China was within arm's reach of New Zealand so that I could have have shared the festival with Jamie and Johannah too. I'd have given anything for them to have been there with me as well.

The Rianney ice cream quest was a big, fat fail as the Noodle Market part of the festival was closed by 10pm - just when we were trying to track it down. Instead of getting psycho and angry about it, we settled for a drinkypoo at Starbucks and I did NOT get a hot choccie... WHAT WHAT??? A chilled, raspberry lemonade was selected solely as it was an excessively, muggy night. 

A SPECIAL, MAGICAL AND HIGHLY MANDATORY AUCKLAND EVENT -

I was lucky enough to go 2 days in a row; on the Saturday I caught up with Helen, my friend from school. One of the stalls has perfected the miso dumpling and the fact that it was pea green in colouring made it extra awesome. Helen and I both went bonkers over our respective, grilled chicken skewers but Helen's was the real McCoy. 

This occasion, my tum would not be denied of Nitro Cow; although the nitrogen gelato flavours were not to my preference, I gave the Dragon's Breath a go. How do I even go about describing this? It was a freeze dried, super sweet, corn puff, cereal style of snack but what's more, it numbed my fingers. Disgusting, I grant you but the effect of vapour omitting from my mouth and nostrils (as it would a dragon) was LOCO. 

*SIGH*, VALENTINES : THAT ONE DAY ANNUALLY THAT MANAGES TO DIMINISH MY SENSE OF WORTH - 

As if I don't feel altogether unlovable throughout the rest of the year as it is!! They say you might just find love in places you never imagined.. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't hoped NZ would be that place for me.. Someday, eh? Or else I'm in for a long series of disappointments. I did what any single girl would do - get a Chinese takeaway for one and Netflix a hilarious rom com, following it up with an almond Magnum. 

Brunched with the roomies at Goodness Gracious Bagels later in the week on the CAB (chicken, avocado, bacon and rocket) bagel. Bagels aren't normally a food I'd choose but goodness gracious, great BAGELS of fire it was practically perfect to the palate. That is PRE-finding-a-hair-atop-it; just as the waiter was in my line of vision and within earshot, I plucked it off with an audible 'YEUCH!!' To apologise, they gifted me with a free juice to guzzle.. I'd secretly wanted a fancy schmancy orange, apple and ginger anyways but didn't want to fork out more dosh. 

Good times all round :) Cheers for checking out my blog, chums xx