The Cove...

Cathedral Cove...for the longest time I couldn't quite place where I had seen pictures of this infamous tourist destination. Alas, it hit me...the toilet. Apparently, the poster on the door of the lieu picturing this giant white guitar-pic like shaped rock, crystal clear aquamarine water and a beautiful sandy beach was no longer going to be what bathroom daydreams were made of, but rather a leisurely Friday trip with the group.
The drive to the Cove took us along the coromandel peninsula coastline with switchbacks that caused your stomach to shoot right straight up into your throat, but the views of the water hitting the cliffs, tall kaori trees leaning over cobbled roads and what can only be described as rolling golden pastureland set the tone for the trip. My only complaint being that I got stuck with the 'bitch seat' the seat between the passenger and the driver where your bum is lodged up against the stickshift and your legs are cramped into an uncomfortable position against the dashboard...oh well, it was still worth it.
We had a picnic lunch before heading off on the 40 min. walk to the Cove. With our boogie boards in tow, my sunkissed skin and our surfer look well perfected...I felt like a real local or at least one of those chicks from 'Blue Crush."
The poster hadn't done the place enough justice--although it happened to be more touristy than many of the other destinations we have visisted to date, it was still nice to just feel normal for a bit and not so much like a dirty farmhand.
Between basking in the sun, attempts to boogie board on a waveless sea, I could not be any more content listening to the waves crash against the rocky shoreline. My reality--a hot day, gentle breeze, sun casting shadows on white/gray boulders, sun refracting off the water creating a blinding sparkle effect, cicadas and crickets breaking up the stillness of it all and me lying on the beach, fully taking in my surroundings and beaming at the notion of just how present I feel in my life for the first time in a long time.