Coromandel Beaches

Forget the region’s famous Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach choking with tourists. Just close your eyes and point your finger blindly at the coastline along the Coromandel Peninsula and you’re bound to land on a perfect beach.

Whitianga

Whitianga lay on the opposite side of the estuary from Ferry Landing. It was one of the bigger towns along the Coromandel Coast with a sizeable marina that appeared as if everyone in the town had a yacht.

Endangered Dotterel

Around the undulating sections of Hot Water Beach, areas were fenced off. There were even signs forbidding dogs during nesting season ending in March. These regions were spotted with grass that sometimes broke away and rolled along the beach.

Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach, not far north of Tairua on the Coromandel Coast, was where people took a spade to dig in the sand. Once they had a deep enough hole filled with thermal water, they sat and soaked up the warmth.

A Cliff Hike

I decided to take the trail from Hahei Village to Cathedral Cove. In the heat of summer, the first ten minutes was a mainly up hill climb, but the view off shore made it worthwhile.

Hahei Beach

With white sand, pristine aqua waters and stacks dotted off shore, this was an ideal beach. The long stretch ended at Tutaritari Reserve.

Cathedral Cove

The Coromandel Coast’s most favoured beach was Cathedral Cove. Hoards of people flocked there to stand near its gigantic arch that connected it to Mare’s Log Cove for a photo or three. Others swam out to the stack off Mare’s Log Cove to dive into the chilly water.

Shakespeare’s Cliff Reserve

I took the short hike up the hill along side the dusty road to take in the estuary and Maramaratotara Bay in one direction and Lonely Bay and Cooks Bay around the other side of the cliff.

Coromandel Coastline

On a boat ride from Ferry Landing, we headed south around Cooks Bay idling near one unique rock formation after another. Sea caves were a common sight carved into the soft pumice and ash rocks by wind and sea. These very rocks resulted in the deep green and often aqua waters that hugged the coastline.

Winding Coromandel Turns

As I journeyed north from Waihi, there were stretches of road where the twists and turns seemed to never end. Beyond Tairua, the sharp corners were duplicated.