Well hands down this sure is a beautiful corner of the world! We have continued our beach bum lifestyle and spent 2 days exploring the coastline around the area!

Yesterday morning we woke up in our cute little shed and as much as we would have loved to while away the day in the gorgeous sunny garden and bush bath we had booked a boat trip so off we went! 

We drove down to the ferry crossing at whitianga and were picked up by the glass bottom boat tour for 2 hours of fun! Captain Joe and his crew mate Lisa were absolutely fantastic and took us on a historical and scenic tour through the protected marine reserve, in and out of all the sandy coves and up to the famous cathedral cove. The clear turquoise water twinkled in the warm sun and the hidden sandy coves looked stunning!

The girls loved it when the glass bottom of the boat was revealed and they could sit watching the many pretty fish swimming right below their feet, we even spotted a majesty stingray hiding in the seaweeds! Molly and Den then braved the cool waters and jumped in to have a peek with the snorkels! Such a great trip!

After being dropped back on shore we had a little lunch in whitianga before driving back along the coast to Tairua. When we got back Molly jumped straight in the bush bath, (it’s not often you get to sit outside having a very bubbly bubble bath 🛀🏼 ) and Daisy relaxed in the garden and played with her dolls. After dinner we took a trek up to Tairua summit for some fantastic evening views of the bay! 💕

Today we decided to head back to cathedral cove by land, and drove to Hahai village and took the park and ride to the beginning of the trek to the cove! It’s a 40 minute trek up and down the coastal pathways (note to self I must stop wearing flip flops everywhere and pop my trainers on once in a while!!!) it was pretty tough for the girls in the warm sun but when we reached the sandy cove all was forgotten! What a magical place! In fact it’s where they filmed some scenes from the narnia films and we could easily see why! Soft sands, turquoise waters with a stunning white arched rock backdrop, picture postcard!

We spent a little time at a quiet end of the beach, where a small waterfall was coming out from the rock face. We changed into our swimwear and as the tide was still out we waded through the clear waters at the headland and found some caves with hidden beaches at the back of them! We felt like little explorers as we made our way up the sand in the dark cool caves! Probably helped by all the famous five audio books we’re listening too in the car! 😂

Molly and Den enjoyed swimming out to the small islands off the coast and Daisy and I built sandcastles! Hours just flew by!

Such a wonderful day!

• Where we stayed: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/4493843