2012-01-31
Although New Zealand doesn't have the best of any one type of landscape, whether it be fjords, mountains, beaches, volcanoes, or rolling grasslands, it certainly does have outstanding entries in all these categories. It may be the most geologically diverse country in the world, which is even more remarkable given its diminutive size. I was blown away by Hahei. Various portions of New Zealand had already strongly reminded me of Norway, Switzerland, Indonesia, and Turkey and in Hahei I felt like I was in Thailand.
In addition to the picturesque Cathedral Cove, which sports a natural tunnel, there was also the overly crowded and less beautiful Hot Water Beach. If you found the right spot on the beach and dug a hole, you would be immediately granted a free hot tub by the geothermal forces deep below your feet. In certain areas, the water seeping up from the sand was so hot, it burned our skin.