Coromandel

February 26, 2025

The Coromandel Peninsula, is a popular vacation destination for Kiwis, on New Zealand's North Island. Coromandel, like the Bay of Islands, is simply stunning.

I took a day tour from Auckland, with Cheeky Kiwi Travel, I'm not affiliated with them. I had a tour booked with Bush & Beach two years ago, however it was cancelled because the road to the Coromandel collapsed after flooding and then Cyclone Gabrielle. It doesn't look like Bush & Beach have resumed tours there.

The road was closed for 9 months. Our tour guide said the reason the road was rebuilt rather quickly is because many politicians have holiday homes there. New Zealand's Times, reports that instead of a years-long recovery, authorities suspended normal consenting requirements, mobilized multiple contractors, and worked around the clock, rebuilding and reopening the road in just nine months – a remarkable achievement.

In addition to the road collapse, so did the pathway and stairs down to the world renowned Cathedral Cove. It only just reopened in December of 2024 - and is still subject to close after it rains. The ground is not stable.

The main two stops of the Coromandel tour were to Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove, both locations are tide dependent. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have just booked this tour willy nilly when it fit my schedule. Also, I wouldn't book this tour too far in advance, because it runs regardless if the tide is in your favor or not.

Check the tide dates and times before booking, to make sure you get the maximum experience. This website tracks the tide at Coromandel.

I would have considered it a complete waste of time and money, if I didn't get to experience sitting in a spa at Hot Water Beach, or not been able to walk through the archway at Cathedral Cove, or even down onto the beach. 

At Hot Water Beach, you need to arrive within 1-2 hours either side of low tide. 

We had time to kill before this short window, so our tour guide brought us to a park at the bottom of Mount Paku.

Have fun!

Everyone hiked the steep hill but me. I knew the hike to Cathedral Cove required an intermediate level of fitness. I wanted to conserve my energy, and preserve my tender lower left leg, that likes to swell up when I walk, for something that I actually wanted to see.

It was a sweltering summer day. Everyone came back panting and sweating.

Then we headed to Hot Water Beach!

Hot Water Beach

There are normal beach facilities at Hot Water Beach, like bathrooms, showers, and changing stalls. There are places nearby to rent shovels. You will need one to dig yourself a hot tub in the sand. 

We walked about half way down the beach, past the surfers, to where are all the people were. This is where the hot spring is. It was packed. There was a lot of commotion. There were people laying all over the place in their own little hot tubs looking like they were having the best time. Typically, when I go to the beach, I find a place where the least amount of people are - not the most!

There were several abandoned tubs I stepped in but they weren't warm. Luckily, we had 2 tour guides on this tour, one was in training, and they took charge of the digging. However, they were trying to build a massive tub and it was taking quite awhile.

I was getting impatient not feeling water that was remotely warm, so I STUPIDLY walked over to where I could see steam coming out of the sand, and immediately burnt the holy living shit out of the bottom of my feet. They were on fire and did not stop burning.

I totally ruined the experience because I had to keep my feet in the cold water the rest of the time. I really thought I was in trouble and had did some serious damage because they burned the entire rest of the time. Not smart.

When it was time to go, I put my sandals back on (ouch!) and made the painful walk back to the parking lot. I stood under the cold shower until everyone was finished with the restroom and ready to walk back to the van. 

We drove for about 10 minutes, to a cow pasture, where we parked the van. From here, it was a 35 minute hike to Cathedral Cove. Though, I was still wet from the shower at Hot Water Beach, it was a sunny hot day, and I had blistering hot feet, that I had to cram back into proper socks and shoes for the hike.

As expected, my leg swelled up, making each step even more painful. I was hauling a change of clothes, sandals, a towel, and an assortment of other shit. It also happened to be the only day that I was not able to get my Hydroflask filled with ice at my hotel before getting picked up for the tour. The line was too long. 

I was overheating.

This hike was not a fun experience. This was basically the worst case scenario. Stopping was not an option. So I limped along exerting the most effort I've ever had to, to get to a beach before. 

Now imagine going through all of this trouble and then not being able to get down to the beach because the tide is too high, so you just have to turn back around. That would have been a real nightmare. At least I got the payoff at the end! Thankfully, it was worth the effort.

Cathedral Cove

I descended down the narrow steep staircase and finally made it onto the beach. I turned around and took this shot. This is not sunburn, this is an overheating face! I needed to get in the water ASAP! The tour guide wanted to take a group photo. Then we walked back and forth through the archway. Aaahhhh! Let me go. 

Pink and overheating

Not pink and cool

I knew that I would not be making the hike back to the van. No way. There is a water taxi that drives up onto the beach and takes you on about a 10 minute ride to Hahei Beach. Who wouldn't do this? Well, it costs $40 NZD for one and the process to get on the taxi is basically a free for all. 

Being able to get out of here, totally stressed me out. So, instead of spending a good amount of time in the water or exploring, I spent maybe 10 minutes in the water, and spent the remainder of the time waiting for a spot on the taxi.

There was no line, no sign up sheet, no order at all. You'd have to catch the captain's attention when he drove up on the beach. He kept a list in his head. He'd tell you, ok you're not getting on the next one, but the next one after that, remind me. What?! 

Madness. 

Every time he pulled up a swarm of people would rush to get on the next one. 

Five other people from my tour were going to take the taxi as well, so I stuck to them like glue. We had to travel together. They couldn't leave without me. 

I wish I could have enjoyed myself more in this absolute gem of a place. I mean come on! The white sandy beach, stunning rock formations, and clear turquoise water. No wonder they filmed the Chronicles of Narnia here. It's otherworldly. So, so beautiful. What a joy it must have been to have the place to themselves. 

There are no facilities here. Happily, I found a little waterfall so I could rinse off the saltwater. Do you know how itchy saltwater is? It would be a good 4 or 5 hours before I got back to the hotel.

When it was finally my turn to board the taxi, there was an incident with a belligerent Karen-type, that came running trying to get on board. She said, that she had to get on now, as she was on a time constraint. So are we!

Our tour guides had already left with the other half of our group. We've been waiting here, for god knows how long, and she just got here and wanted to kick one of us off. The captain asked if any of us wanted to accommodate her. No one did. Not sorry. I wasted my precious little time here waiting for this ride.

Once we got onto Hahei beach, there was someone waiting with a handheld credit card machine. Thank god it worked! I didn't have enough cash.

Our guides had told us to meet up with the rest of our group at a restaurant nearby. I was the last one off the boat and I stopped to change out of my wet suit in the bathroom. So, when I came out, there was no sign of anyone from my tour or even the boat. 

I panicked because I had no idea where to go and I have no sense of direction. I used my phone's GPS to type in the name of the restaurant. It led me to a small commercial area about 5 minutes away, but I couldn't find the restaurant.

I walked back out to the street, just as my tour van was driving by, so I flagged them down. I'd had no idea how much time had passed since we separated, so I assumed they were all already on the van, but it was just the guides. They had dropped off the walkers and were going to park the van. They directed me to the restaurant, were it took an eternity to get our food.

It was a long challenging day, but the Coromandel is beautiful. I'd love to redo this trip sometime but I'd look for a 2-day tour, so I didn't feel so rushed at Cathedral Cove. It takes way too much effort to get there to not be able to thoroughly enjoy it.