With a new appreciation for the cool south island, we were up early to make the most of the morning before the heat set in. We headed up to the Te Aroha Mountain Gold Mining Walking Tracks for a stroll which ended up being more challenging than expected. Still, was great to walk along the tracks and glimpse more of NZ's history.

The drive up to Hot Water Beach was admittedly a little underwhelming from what was described as one of the most scenic drives north Island has to offer, but pleasant nonetheless. Hot beach was absolutely packed, and after some considerable effort (from Joe mainly) digging in an area a little away from the crowds, we had to admit defeat as the crater failed to reach any hot water. We then headed straight into the milieu and discovered the scorching waters were far too hot even stand in (let alone bathe in) unless you were in the prime real estate where you could harness the cooling waves along the shore. We went for the old classic traditional swim instead, and even managed some "body surfing". We stayed at Cooks Bay for the following two nights.