We all woke up fairly early, probably due to a mixture of jet lag for a few members of the group, and eagerness to seize the day for the rest (that or bright sun, poorly fitting curtains and loud campsite noises, who knows). We settled down to enjoy a nice continental style breakfast of bread, cereals, juices and coffees. Most of the items were bought by Brendan and Louise who had been up since the early hours and used their energy to perform a scavenger hunt. The food was much appreciated and we carved out the first plan for the day.
This had to be done as with all group activities, everyone always thinks someone else has a plan until you realise no one has a plan and you’re suddenly on the other side of the planet and have no idea what to do. Luckily Katy had done some prior research in to the particular area we were in and came up with the idea of getting out to see Cathedral Cove, which had been used in several film sets, including Narnia apparently.
We headed out on the road and in our rear view mirror we had spotted that Brendan had been relieved of driving duty for the day. Perhaps passing a HGV driving test was not the forefront of the agenda for the motorhome today.
Luckily the first destination was only down the road and we were pulling into the car park of Cathedral cove in a matter of half an hour. We got all our walking and swimming bits together for some fun in the sun and sea. However, a few moments later Mike had spotted a sign indicating that the walk to the cove was 75 minutes from the car park. Not to worry, we had spotted a park and ride style bus at the entrance which would take us there. However, on looking at the map, this also seemed to be an extraordinary amount of time as we would have to get a bus and then have close to an hours walk to the cove.
The committee huddled together at the bus stop. After a short discussion it was decided that actually heading straight to Hot Beach would provide the greatest return on invested time as we wouldn’t need to be rushed and all wanted to see the beach anyway. So, back in the vans once more we drove down the road to Hot Beach.
What is Hot beach? Surely all beaches in the glow of summer sunshine are hot beaches? Or does the term mean it attracts flocks of model and athletic type builds to the shoreline in a glorious display previously known as the lynx effect? Well the answer is neither of those. Hot beach is in fact a beach which is located above volcanic outlets. At low tide, tourists and locals alike can head to specific parts of the beach looking for a hot spot (a spot below your feet which feels abnormally warmer compared to surrounding sun/water). At this point a shovel can be deployed and a hole in the sand can be dug out, allowing you to craft your own hot tub in the sand.
Here’s the thing with volcanic heating though, it’s pretty unpredictable and in no way controllable with only a shovel, low tide and sand. No solution can be engineered in which you and the mass of others on the beach can successfully craft a pool which sits at a nice 38 degrees. Instead its an absolute gamble as to whether you build a dud of tub which fills with freezing cold pacific water or create a mass of steaming liquid which could compete with the sun for heat output! We gave it our best shot bus we sadly kept making spas which would fry your feet the moment you stepped in.
The experience was great fun through and it as really quite something to see groups who had been able to accomplish a pool in which they could sit down in. One piece of advice for would be diggers though: if you have had breast implants and choose to wear a small bikini top. Be warned its very likely you will be nipple akimbo during this task.
Our hard work for the day done, we headed to a local cafe and enjoyed a lunch overlooking the beach. The sun was out so we all couldn’t resist the charm of a cool beverage before making our next plan.
Thanks to campermate we had located a campsite down the road at a place called opal springs. This campsite came complete with thermal baths and a swimming pool installed on site. Given our failure to craft our own spa, it seemed only right that we should be able to enjoy some naturally volcanic heated water somewhere.
But before this, it was time for an important surprise to be revealed. Louise had managed to source some last minutes tickets to Hobbiton, the set created for the lord of the rings and hobbit films. This studio tour was kept secret from most of the gang until this point as we were pushing it incredibly fine for time and faff had to be minimised.
Making great way (and note, not speeding!) we made it with minutes to spare on the clock. Katy and I had arrived first so we sprinted over to the ticket both to collect the gangs tickets. We were told we were on the 4pm bus and that there could be no substitutions. We painfully watched the minutes clock closer to 4, waiting for the other van to turn up. Thankfully they made it right on time and we joined the back of the queue to get our studio tour.
The bus ride was narrated by Sir Peter Jackson as well the owner of the farm (who I have forgotten the name of). It was mentioned that the set originally made in the lord of the rings was temporary and demolished after filming was completed. As a condition to the hobbit using the same location, the set this time was to be made semi-permanent, allowing the site to become a cash cow for the owners of the land.
Our bus arrived and we were gently rushed though the path and out into the open of Hobbiton. The guide was very informative and told us how the filming was done using false perception combined with differently scaled hobbit hole doors to complete the illusion of the hobbits small stature. We were walked around all the hobbit holes (mostly empty as the insides were filmed on a set) and shown all the props from the films.
I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Lord of the Rings (I haven’t actually managed to sit through them) so some of the magic may well have lost on me. However, the set was very impressive and the fanatic vibes of die hard fans around me (including Walsh family) did make me reconsider if I should watch the franchise. As a result, I’m sure that Katy will want to add more details to this below:
Katy: WOOOOOOW
The tour ended in the way that all tours should really, a free pint of beer. This was enjoyed at the on site pub which was also used in the films. The difference with this building is that the interior is completed and it is in fact a fully operational venue. Drinks quashed we were headed back to the bus where another clip from Sir Jackson and the owner played. This time the owner said we were “…welcome back at anytime, no need to knock”. Though unfortunately I suspect this gratitude does not extend to the payment of the entrance fee.
Hobbit experience completed, we were on the road once more and made it to Opal Springs in pretty decent time, with an hour left of pool time before it closed for the night. Complete with a slide, we messed around in the main pool for a bit before having a relaxing soak in the 38 degree pool. The day was slowly drawing to a close and we had just realised that we hadn’t considered what our dinner option would be.
However, we had managed to locate an Indian cuisine restaurant not too far into town. We got onto the phone and placed our feast for seven order, which was quoted a pickup time of half an hour. This did seem a tad on the speedy side but we really didn’t think to question it. I kept myself off the drink as the designated driver for the food and slowly counted the minutes go by, as like watching a kettle boil.
Finally 20 minutes had passed and Brendan and I jumped into the van and I drove us into town. We arrived at a restaurant filled with the aromas of a very delicious curries and we approached the bar counter. Hitting the bell left out a a smiley and happy waitress informed us our order was nearly ready and to sit down and wait. Brendan and I waited for a good 30 minutes before the food came out. This seemed more on par with how long the food should have take to cook but it was still a bit annoying to be spending our time in a deserted restaurant.
We finally made it back to camp where our group was famished. A decision had been take to move the party into the big caravan due to the cold night that had crept in and we managed to turn a 6 berth campervan into an 8 seater Indian restaurant. It was great fun and finally being able to join in the beers was a great addition. We played the latest bangers and had good fun until we realised that we were still going strong during the campsite “quiet hours”. Whooops! We weren’t told to turn things down but we are all full, burps smelly of curry and ready for bed anyway!