We had a leisurely morning since the weather's nasty and the rain makes most activities here in Coromandel rather unappealing. Then we drove up to Whitianga, checked out the low tide times, bought souveniers, and ate lunch at Blue Ginger, a little Asian-fusion place. From there we drove to Hot Water Beach, which was incredibly packed with people, despite the rain and chilly wind. We rented a shovel and walked down to the massive crowd gathered around some kids sitting in a shallow pool dug into the sand. After digging around a bit, we discovered that the hot water was only coming up right where the tide ended, so there was no real way to trap the hot water.
Leaving that hectic scene, we drove up the 309 road, an infamously windy and unkempt route from Whitianga on the east coast to Coromandel town on the west coast. One of the scenic stops along the way is an ancient, untouched kauri grove with 600 year-old trees. We stopped there and drove along the west coast to Thames for a quick dinner, then back to the hostel. Tomorrow we zip to Taupo to try to make an early afternoon kayaking trip to carvings on the lake, only accessible from the water.