Hiding from Bees in the Coromandel

Riding to Hahai Beach

Day 5 (12/26): It's Boxing Day. Today we rode to Hahei Beach, a 33 km (21 mi) trip including a long uphill stretch that Bill and I likened to climbing 2.5 Torrey Pines units. Torrey Pines Road is located near our house and has a long uphill stretch that we ride regularly when riding along the coast on our weekend rides. The ride was made a bit more interesting by the abundance of bees near the top of the hill. A beekeeper was apparently moving the bees or collecting the honeycomb. After rolling through farmland we reached the beach. It's time for a quick lunch and changing into your swimming togs. From here we trekked to Cathedral Cove, a beautiful and secluded beach. Along the way, we got gorgeous peek-a-boo views of the ocean and coastline. When we reached Cathedral Cove, we jumped in the water for a refreshing swim. It was a bit cold, possibly 70 degrees Fahrenheit but felt wonderful after the warm hike. The colors of the water were vivid, brilliant blues. A few brave souls swam out to a rock in the cove and jumped off. I got a little cocky about the sunscreen and suffered my first sunburn. We tramped back to Hahei where we hopped in the van to shuttle back to the hotel. I phoned home to wish my family a merry Christmas. Another delicious dinner concluded the day.

Hiking to Cathederal Cove

Cathederal Cove