Whitianga is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, on the shores of Mercury Bay. Mercury Bay was given its name by Captain James Cook, after he landed on the shores of the bay to observe a transit of Mercury in 1769. The Māori name is Te-Whanganui-a-Hei. Cook completed the first recorded circumnavigation of the main islands of New Zealand, and with the aid of Tupaia, a Tahitian priest who had joined the expedition, Cook was the first European to communicate with the Māori. It seems that Cook is a much less controversial character in New Zealand than he is in Australia.

Good Morning Whitianga

We woke to the sight of a thick fog in the valley below this morning, making the stunning view from our hilltop home even more stunning. 

Cathedral Cove Tour

Famous Cathedral Cove is one of the “must visit” places in New Zealand and apparently was voted 45th in The World’s 50 Best Beaches 2025. The whole coastline in this area is stunning. Created by volcanic ash and lava some 7 or 8 million years ago and shaped by wind, rain and sea, cliffs, caves and blowholes create a visual feast, even on a cold grey day such as we had today. I suspect the beach voting happens in summer, but despite the conditions we enjoyed a 2-hour boat trip from Whitianga with Ocean Leopard Tours as far as Orua Sea Cave. The sky was very grey, and we froze, but the scenery was impressive, and the sea was still a lovely emerald shade.

Our boat for the morning

This was a blowhole until erosion stopped it blowing

Cathedral Cove

Smiling Sphinx Rock

Snapper came to say hello

Snapper came to say hello

Champagne Rock and Hitchhiker’s Thumb

A lava tube

Orua Cave

Orua Cave

Hungry snapper in Orua Cave

Cathedra Cove features in the film version of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Mercury Bay Museum

We headed straight to lunch, mainly to warm up, then visited the Mercury Bay Museum next door. By now it was raining in earnest, and we needed an indoor activity! It’s a fairly small museum, but very well curated, with exhibits about the Polynesian navigator Kupe, Māori artifacts, the Endeavour and James Cook, HMS Buffalo (which sunk 1840), kauri timber and gum, the old dairy factory in which the museum is housed, natural history and much more. We stayed until closing time, but found the displays fascinating, especially learning about the early settlement of Aotearoa by Polynesians, as well as the visits of the HMS Endeavour. One thing I learned is that Captain Cook introduced potatoes to New Zealand!

The weather won

We have been resolutely venturing out each day despite the weather becoming gradually colder and wetter, but this afternoon it won. After leaving the museum we retired to our very comfortable B&B to get warm and cozy. The rain has not stopped and in fact is particularly heavy at the time of writing. After a busy few days, it’s been pleasant to chill, and get this blog up to date. Fortunately, we self-catered tonight, so we haven’t had to venture outdoors at all.

PS If you are looking for a nice place to stay in Whitianga, I recommend Woody Hanger Lodge. It’s about 10 minutes out of town, but the view is worth it, and everything about the accommodation is top notch.

Thanks for reading. To see the rest of the New Zealand trip (a work in progress at this stage) click HERE. If you are really keen, click the subscribe link below and you will get an email notification every time there’s a new post.