Today was our last day to relax and enjoy ourselves for a bit. Tomorrow, we drive to Auckland, and we leave the next morning very early for Vanuatu. We will need to spend all of tomorrow packing, driving, and sorting logistics.

But we still had time for one more excursion in the area – the hike to New Chums Beach. This trail started in a vague fashion, with a walk down a beach. There was a small estuary that we had to cross. Lydie decided to jump it, and she *nailed* it. Didn’t get wet at all.

Once across we set out over a rocky stretch along the water’s edge. We weren’t 100% sure that we were actually in the right place, given that there was no marked trail. AllTrails also wasn’t that helpful, as it showed both the trail and our current location to be in the water.

We kept going, hoping for the best. Along the way, we found some cool tidal pools. In one, Cassie found a common cushion star.

Eventually, we found the trail. It wound along the water for a while, but then headed down a small peninsula, where the trail quickly got very steep.

It was quite a climb. We had to pull ourselves up the rocks, using handholds and roots. But the views from the top were spectacular.

Indeed, from the peak, we could see in all directions. I couldn’t help but wonder if this site had significance to the Maori given its beauty and strategic vantage point.

Unfortunately, from our high location we could see rain in the distance. Even worse, Julie texted us that it was pouring buckets at our AirBNB. We could also see Chum Beach, a pristine stretch of sand with no human development. We decided to risk it and head down to the beach for a few minutes. We hustled down the steep trail and quickly got to the beach. There, we saw dozens of Portuguese man-o-wars. I expect they are a pain when you want to swim, but on the beach their cobalt colors were pretty cool.

And the secluded beach was gorgeous.

We walked for a bit and then decided we were pushing our luck. We hustled back along the rocks towards the car. We were close, but it started to sprinkle, and the wind was picking up. After a little jog, we got back to the car in time.

It was a super fun hike — different from many of our others. This one was distinctly coastal with tropical tones, like palm trees along the trail. It’s a nice transition of sorts for Team Hubbard, as we’ll be going to Vanuatu in a couple of days. That’s the next chapter on our little adventure, and I’ll be blogging that under a separate heading. It may take a bit longer to get the posts up, dear reader, as our days will be full and our internet access limited. To me, that sounds perfect.

-Will