After our fishing adventures on the west side of the Coromandel, we headed across the peninsula to the scenic east side. As usual, the road was as twisty and windy as ever as we navigated coastline and mountain ranges. We passed by the pretty beach of Whitianga – which looked very inviting – but we kept driving to our next two destinations, the famous Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Along the way, we saw quite a few self serve stands selling locally grown fruit and vegetables and we stopped on two occasions to buy pears, figs and avocados.
We stayed at a campground near Hot Water Beach for two nights. On our first day, we visited Cathedral Cove. We had to drive to the nearby town of Hahei and then take a shuttle to the trailhead. From there, it was a pretty 45 minute walk along the coast to get down to the cove. It was definitely worth the effort to get there!
The cove features a massive cathedral-like tunnel that connects two stunning beaches. There were interesting rock formations and more caves on either side. We also saw an interesting water taxi that could actually drive up on the beach to pick up passengers who didn’t want to do the somewhat strenuous walk back. The beach was beautiful and the water looked so inviting there, we regretted not having brought our swimsuits to enjoy them more.
The next day we visited Hot Water Beach. This amazing beach is on top of a hot spring. If you visit it in the four or five hour period around low tide, you can dig your own hot tub in the sand! The campground and local businesses rent out shovels for digging. It is a very popular tourist spot. Once the tide goes low enough, people start digging their holes and building little fortification walls in the sand. The water temp can be as high as 150 degrees, so you have to be a little careful where you dig or you would get scalded.
Sophie and I found the beach pretty busy when we first arrived as a tourist bus had recently dropped off a bunch of people. So we decided to walk to the end of the long, wide beach. It was beautiful and nearly deserted on the opposite side. We ended up having a great swim in the ocean there, playing in the waves.
Once we got back to the hot water area, there were much fewer people – and we were able to just use the holes others had already dug and abandoned!
It is a very social activity and it is strangely relaxing to be laying on the soft sand as hot water seeps up around you. You can’t actually dig deep enough to get your whole body covered as the sand keeps filling in, but when you lay in it, there is enough hot water for you to soak in.
We thoroughly enjoyed this experience and stayed til almost sunset when the tide got high enough to fill in the holes with cold water. It was kind of fun as everyone was trying their best to build dikes and fortify their hot tub from the rising surf. As higher and higher waves came in, people would either cheer (if their dike held) or groan (if they suddenly were inundated with cold water).
Twice a day, the tide comes up and wipes away all traces of the hot pools people spent so much time digging, only to have it start all over again. It is kind of poetic and such a unique experience!
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