Cappadocia 1 of 3

Cappadocia is an amazing place that has unique topography.  Basically, the ash from volcanoes settled into a soft rock, which was then worn away by the elements, and by humans.

And worn away by humans to form caves, which are used for businesses and homes.




There are plenty of old churches around – some with frescos dating back to the 7th century; this one was from ~the 10th century:

I LOVE how all the doors of tourist mini-buses have automatic doors through a bolt-on system!

And a video of it in action:

Hot Water Beach And Cathedral Cove

The coromandel peninsula in New Zealand is just east of Auckland and is stunningly beautiful.  It presents miles and miles of winding coastline, peppered with small and large islands, some rocky, most with vegetation.  Pictures don’t do it justice!

There are many neat rocky artifacts, including this large natural rock arch in Cathedral Cove:
 

Nearby Stingray Bay was wonderfully picturesque, though we didn’t have time or wetsuits to figure out if it lives up to its name:

On the east side of the peninsula is Hot Water Beach, a thermally active area which has hot springs coming out of the ground near the coast, on the beach and even in the water.  The water is scaldingly hot in some places.

We ended up digging a pool near one of these hot water jets (comes out of the sand) and would use a bucket to mix refreshingly cold sea water with the hot fresh water.  We had a relaxing soak for about an hour, before the tide started to come in!