Coromandel to Waitomo

From the tour pamphlet: "It's no secret that many blockbuster hits have been filmed in New Zealand due to its incredible landscapes."  From what I have seen so far in my trip it is indeed stunning.  Just the scenery along the drive yesterday was amazing.  Today we visited Cathedral Cove, which might be recognizable to some from "The Chronicles of Narnia" movie.  There's also a spot in this area where a music video was filmed, but I've never seen it either.

As you can tell from the photos, it was rainy and overcast, so I was thankful for my raincoat.  It was a lovely "hike" down to the cove, and I'm still always surprised by how many little islands are always out in the water.  I suppose for so much volcanic activity in this area I shouldn't be surprised.

Our next stop for the day was the town of Hamilton, where Andy, our tour guide, grew up.  His family all still lives here and he showed us where he went to high school and played rugby.  Then he took us to his favorite spot in town, Hamilton Gardens.  About 50 years ago the location of these gardens was actually the town garbage dump!  They have made quite an improvement since then.  I appreciated how the garden was subdivided into smaller, themed gardens; I thought it was a very good idea and they did an excellent job with each theme.  The rest of our afternoon was spent traveling to the town of Waitomo where we would spend the night.  The area is famous for its glowworm caves, but that's a story for tomorrow....

The Hamilton Gardens