On day 2 we went kayaking in Whangamata. The weather was perfect with not too much wind and plenty of sunshine to keep us warm in the cool water. We kayaked out to the island of Whenuakura (Donut Island), known for its unique shape. We kayaked through a little sea cave and into a cove in the center of the island. Tuatara, ancient lizards, used to live here, but people began poaching and selling them due to their endangered status. Now all of the tuataras have been relocated to a safer island. In order to bring back the tuataras, the mana whenua have asked that no one land on the island cove and in time the tuataras will be moved back. So we paddled around in circles for a few minutes before leaving the cove. Definitley one of the coolest places I've seen in NZ! The rest of the kayak was also breathtaking. We even cruised past a stingray!
After saying goodbye to the Coromandel, we drove up to Tawharanui, where we planned to camp that night. We made a pit stop at a waterfall and the Giant L&P bottle. L&P stands for Lemon and Paeroa and is a popular soda brand in NZ. It tastes a lot like sparkling lemonade or like Sprite without the lime.
When we arrived in Tawharanui, however, the gate to the campsite was closed and our phones didn't have any service. So after taking a peek at the beach, we decided to find another place to stay. We found a nice motel/campground in Warkworth for the night.