New Zealand / Auckland, Northland & Coromandel / CoromandelCoromandel
Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove
The bush-covered peninsula east of Auckland, based at Hahei or Whitianga. At Hot Water Beach you dig a pool in the sand two hours either side of low tide and sit in water heated from below; Cathedral Cove's great rock arch is reached by sea kayak, boat or the coastal track (storm damage has closed parts of it since 2023, so check its status with DOC). Roads are narrow and winding, and there is no train or airport: drive, or take InterCity to Whitianga.
Highlights
- Digging your own hot pool at Hot Water Beach
- Cathedral Cove rock arch
- Sea kayaking from Hahei
- Glass-bottom boat to the marine reserve
- Whitianga harbour
- Pōhutukawa in bloom at Christmas
Things to do
- Hot Water Beach at low tide (hire a spade)Any time · 2h
- Sea kayak to Cathedral CoveMorning · 3h 30m
- Glass-bottom boat tour of Te Whanganui-A-Hei marine reserveAfternoon · 2h
- Hahei Beach and Te Pare lookout walkEvening · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: December – March
Heads up
Coromandel Holiday Crowds
Between Christmas and mid-January the Coromandel is Auckland's holiday playground: Hot Water Beach is crowded at low tide, and rooms in Hahei and Whitianga book out. Check the status of the Cathedral Cove track with DOC; the cove is also reached by water taxi or kayak.
- Christmas and New Year holidays · 25 Dec – 2 Jan — New Zealand's main summer holiday: families head to the beaches and lakes, holiday parks and campervans are booked out, and Queenstown and Wānaka hold big New Year's Eve parties. Public holidays on 25-26 December and 1-2 January close some shops and add surcharges in cafés.