You need to see these!

Karlee, Tyler, Lauren, Courtney and I spent the past weekend in the gorgeous Coromandel Peninsula, whose landscape is some of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring I've ever seen (See picture link above). The weekend was not without it's challenges, however. Let me explain...

...And let me begin by saying, Mom and Dad, it's a good thing you didn't know what I was up to this weekend. On Friday, we picked up our rental car, which was supposed to be a 10-seater automatic van. Instead, we were given an eight-seater jalopy that was- DUN DUN DUN- stickshift. Only I and Courtney had the experience to drive this car, and as my mom will tell you, I don't drive the stickshift in NJ during rush hour traffic, when I know I'll be going up hills, or when I have a long way to go.

So we start out on the left side of the road, get onto the highway, and immediately hit stop-and-go rush hour traffic heading uphill within the first 5 minutes of a 2 1/2 hr. drive. The stop-and-go lasted a good 45 minutes until we got out of the Auckland area. About an hour and a half later, the road changed from smooth country route to winding, near death twists and turns along a raceway that dropped off into the ocean on the left and was a crumbling rocky mess on the right. This eventually turned away from the coastline and began to climb up, up, up into the countryside in a series of hairpin turns. When we FINALLY got to our hotel, I shifted to what I thought was third gear, but it was first, we made a scene in the parking lot, screamed a bit, and finally fell out of the car, happy to be on terra firma again. BUT! I did not once stall out during the drive, I made it safely to our destination, and I now think I feel more safe driving myself around England than I do having you drive, Dad.

After a nice, beer-induced sleep (it was necessary and there was no over-indulging-I promise) we got up the next morning and I forced Courtney to drive to Hot Water Beach. She quickly got the hang of it because she'd regularly driven manual for a while and I was elated to have another driver. The drive was amazing and truly showed all the best New Zealand had to offer. Rolling, green sheep pastures and lush tropical forests lined the route. We also had good weather, which was a pleasant surprise entering into New Zealand's rainy fall season.

Hot Water Beach, so named because of the thermal springs that bubble up beneath the sand, was one of the coolest things I believe I've experienced. At certain points, the sand is so hot, that it boils up to the surface and you cannot even stand on it. We rented spades and dug a hole right near the hottest water just as the tide began to come in. This was opportune because the hot water mixed with the cool sea water and created a natural spa at just the right temperature. So cool!

After Hot Water Beach we trekked to another beach with views of the islands dotting the coastline. The chain extended far out into the sea. Imagine vibrant emerald domes popping up out of the water sporadically for miles. It's so amazing what this Earth can produce!

Cathedral Cove was our next stop. That included a 40 minute hike down to the cove itself with stunning views toward the inland and the sea. Once we reached the beach, we were met by an enormous cave that had been hollowed out of the rock by years of crashing waves. A very impressive sight. We sat on the beach for a while, looking out at various rock formations jutting from beneath the turquoise water. You can look at my pictures to see what I'm talking about, although I don't know if any photos could ever do the entire Coromandel justice.

On our final day in the Coromandel, we stopped by a place called Water Works, which I was less than thrilled about visiting, but it turned out to be a quirky, fun place with very unique activities. Someone bought a few hectares in the middle of nowhere, started tinkering, and built tons of water spouts and things out of scrap metal, tubes, and other stuff. Weird, but we had a lot of fun and a nice ride home after- with Courtney driving.