Hahei and the Coromandel Peninsula

Why the Coromandel

After ten days on the South Island, dramatic, cold, mountainous, adrenaline-forward, the Coromandel Peninsula is the perfect gear shift. It is subtropical. It is lush. The beaches are warm. The pace is slower. And it has one of the most genuinely fun family experiences in New Zealand: Hot Water Beach.

We gave the Coromandel four nights, based at Hahei Beach Resort. It was the right amount of time and the right place to end a sixteen-day trip before the long flight home.

Getting There

Drive from Auckland: approximately 2.5 hours to Coromandel Town, then another 45 minutes to Hahei.

We flew from the South Island to Auckland, picked up our second rental car at Auckland Airport, and drove north onto the peninsula. The road onto the Coromandel narrows significantly as you get into the hills. It is beautiful and manageable in daylight. We arrived in Coromandel Town in the early evening and drove on to Hahei as it got dark.

That last stretch in the dark on the winding coastal roads is fine but requires attention. Our honest advice: plan to arrive at your final destination before sunset. The roads are not dangerous, but they are narrow, unlit, and unfamiliar, and you will be tired from the travel day.

The 309 Road and Waterworks

On the drive from Coromandel Town to Hahei

The 309 is a gravel road that cuts across the Coromandel Peninsula through native forest. It is rougher than a sealed road but perfectly manageable in a standard rental car. Make time for the Waterworks.

The Waterworks is a water-powered art installation and playground that is difficult to describe and easy to love. Dozens of creative contraptions powered by flowing water, wheels, bells, pumps, pendulums, fountains. Kids can interact with all of it. The older two immediately started competing. Our eight-year-old declared it her favorite thing of the entire trip.

It is also free to enter. A New Zealand institution hiding in plain sight.

Allow 2 hours. You will want to stay longer.

Hot Water Beach

Low tide only | Hire a spade | Worth it twice

At low tide, geothermal water seeps up through the sand along a specific stretch of beach. You dig down a foot or two, the water pools, and you have your own private hot spring at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Cold ocean water mixes in at the edges. You can move between the two.

We went twice.

Practical notes:

• Check the tide tables before you go. There is a 2-hour window on either side of low tide. Outside that window, the beach is just a beach.
• Hire a spade from the shop near the beach access. They rent them specifically for this.
• Go early or late in the day to avoid the midday crowd. It gets busy.
• The water can be very hot in the central area. Keep younger kids toward the edges and mix in cold water.
• Our eight-year-old understood this immediately and set up her own temperature zone.

Cathedral Cove

15-minute walk or short kayak from Hahei Beach

Cathedral Cove is a sea arch on the coast north of Hahei, one of the most photographed spots in New Zealand and a filming location for The Chronicles of Narnia. You can walk the trail from the top of the hill (about 45 minutes each way) or kayak in from Hahei Beach, which is the better option if you have reasonably confident paddlers.

Go early. The tour groups arrive mid-morning and it gets congested on the beach.

Hahei Beach

The beach itself is beautiful, calm, safe, with gentle waves and warm enough water in summer to actually swim. After two weeks of mountains and glaciers, the kids rediscovered the ocean. We spent hours here doing nothing in particular.

Hahei Beach Resort is a short walk from the beach access. The sea view units are worth the premium.

A Note on the Coromandel Roads

The inland roads on the Coromandel Peninsula are winding, narrow, and occasionally hairraising, especially after dark. They are not dangerous in the sense of requiring special driving skills, but they require full attention. Treat every blind corner as if something is coming the other way, because often something is.

In daylight, they are beautiful. Plan accordingly.