We "Dwelt in a Tent" -- Hahei Beach

If you've been following the blog from the beginning, you've heard my confessions about not being very excited to camp in a tent.  I recognize that I sound like a huge wimp admitting that, but it's true.  I love camping ... LOVE it ... but we've been camping in tent trailers or rented RVs for the past several years, and I've gotten a little spoiled having a mattress and a hard roof and a heater.  My last experience camping in a tent was when Emily was a baby.  She was super fussy, we were freezing, the ground was SO hard, and it was pretty miserable.

We knew before moving here that it would be incredibly expensive to travel in New Zealand without camping most of the time.  Even though many of the campgrounds and holiday parks have cabins to rent, they can be as expensive as hotel rooms.  Tent camping is the best option, especially for our large family (although the campgrounds charge per person, so even tent camping can get awfully pricey).

Steve researched for months, and finally purchased the Kingdom 8 tent from REI.  He also ordered a "garage" which attaches to the tent, and new sleeping bags and pads for the kids.  I'm so grateful that he thought ahead and brought these items with us from the States.  It would have been overwhelming to buy everything after arriving.

When we embarked on our Spring Break trip, I had in my mind a vision of where I hoped we would be able to camp.  I have always dreamed of camping on the beach, within walking distance of the water.  We had looked online at campgrounds located throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, but hadn't made any reservations.  After our awesome dolphin encounter, we drove through the mountains to the east side of the Coromandel.  It was mid-afternoon, and the kids (well, mostly just the twins) were getting a bit restless and grumpy, so we needed to make a decision soon about where to stay.

We knew that we wanted to visit Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, so we pulled into Hahei, a quaint beach town located just a few kilometers from both of those popular attractions.  The Hahei Holiday Resort was a charming little location with both cabins and tent sites.  It wasn't as glam as the other holiday parks we had stayed in, but we liked it that way!  The best part?  To attract more springtime guests, they were offering a "Kids Stay Free" special during the school holiday (the whole country is out of school at the same time).  We only paid $60/night, instead of $120...that's for a non-powered tent site (with access to showers, laundry, a little playground, and a group kitchen).  Those are the "shoulder" season rates.  The summer rates are much higher, but even so, the office gals told us that they are at full capacity nearly all summer!

We chose our site, but before we even finished unloading the car, we were anxious to check out the beach.  Our campsite was a grassy, shady spot next to this path which led to the beach:

We were less than a minute's walk to the water.  Julia is demonstrating how we all felt about our fortunate situation.  :)

Setting up the tent was a breeze, and Steve had lots of helpers eager to get their hands on all the supplies.

The tent with the garage attached:

All set up and ready for sleeping:

This truly felt like the Taj Mahal of all tents.  We loved it.  I'm so pleased that Steve chose such great equipment for us.  We were very comfortable and had plenty of space.

After everything was set up, Rachel and I stole away for a few more shots on the beach. 

Luke and Landon wanted in on the action, too. :)

As we walked the short path back to the campsite, the twins were mesmerized by this large spiderweb we discovered:

It was a bit of a bummer not being allowed to build a fire, but we relaxed around camp, took lots more walks on the beach and around camp, and enjoyed our hobo dinners cooked on the camp stove.  We reminisced about seeing the dolphins earlier in the day, and couldn't stop gushing over the beauty that surrounded us.  We truly felt like we had found our own little slice of heaven.