PAVAN MICKEY: Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Monday, November 3, 2014

Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Hot Water Beach is a beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, approximately 12 kilometres south east of Whitianga, and approximately 175 kilometres from Auckland. Its name comes from underground hot springs which filter up through the sand between the high and low water tidal reaches. The beach is a popular destination both for locals and tourists visiting New Zealand. Annual visitor numbers have been estimated at 700,000, making it one of the most popular geothermal attractions in the Waikato Region.

During peak season, hundreds of people come to the beach families with shovels and buckets, and start digging pools, big enough to lie down and relax in warm geothermal water. You dig deeper, the water becomes hotter, with a temperature reaching 64 ° C. Because the water is too hot, some dig canals to the sea, the cold water mixed with hot. With the rapid change of course, all these wells are washed with water, cleaning the beach to the next influx of visitors. Beach - a popular destination for both locals and tourists visiting New Zealand. The main thing is to remember safety as hot springs are located directly by the sea, and many visitors are trapped in a dangerous course. Tide can descend very quickly, with big waves, which cost many lives. But it is very important to take care of their security. After the tide comes the huge waves and instantly. [ First Photo credit Falk Fischer]