We just spent another weekend at colleague Kalman's beach house in Pauanui, this time just on our own. Friday afternoon we went to Hot Water Beach which is famous for a hot river that flows into the sea just underneath the surface. The volcanic rock in this formerly vulcanic area is still very hot and thereby heats up the river. At low tide you can dig a whole and enjoy a hot bath just next to the sea. A really awesome and unique experience, so we stayed until late. Saturday we hiked in the Coromandel Forest area, a former Kauri logging area which has grown back most of it's original beauty. We took the Billy Goat Trail to the Hydro Plant Camp which took us ~4hrs return. Next time we'll go for the Pinnacles, a rock formation gorgious enough to be in Lord of the Rings. That track is ~7-8hrs return, so we'll need to get up earlier then ;) Sunday we climbed up Mount Pauanui just off the beach 500m down the road from our house. Quite a steep track that offered fantastic views over the whole area.