Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach (Bust?)

Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach (Bust?)
It was wonderful to wake up in our own home (for the next week), have coffee on the porch, listening to the bellbirds and watching the view of the pa (Maori fort site). Our first walk was a coastline trail to the magnificent Cathedral Cove. We had great coastline views, saw huge tree ferns and pockets of pastureland, complete with grazing cows. Cathedral Cove has huge limestone archways and rock formations. The swimming was a bit exciting with waves that could give us a great ride or turn us upside down in a face plant if we weren't careful.
The brief drive to Hot Water Beach was extremely scenic, a combination of rustic pastures and spectacular ocean views. Grizzlo was so excited to go to the hot water pools. There are volcanic springs under the sand and at low tide you can dig a hole and have your own jacuzzi.
Unfortunately , half the tourists to New Zealand had the same idea, so it was impossible to find an unoccupied spot. Crowd jacuzzis are not our thing. The surf there was spectacular, so we settled for watching the fearless surfers do their thing. The surf was much too dangerous for the average swimmer. So, view 10, jacuzzi 0.