Hahei & surrounding area

Hahei is a most spectacular and popular pink sandy beach with a commercial centre that includes fine dining, tour operators, services, shops, cafe's, art, craft, galleries and more...

From the lookout of the 1.5km long beach there is access to Cathedral Cove and the Marine Reserve. Further south at Hahei is another magnificent beach and a very scenic walking track to Cathedral Cove. The Te Pare point historic reserve at the southern end of Hahei Beach is the site of a pa occupied by the Ngati Hei people.

Cathedral Cove Walk There are several scenic tracks on land adjacent to the reserve, including the 2hr return walk to Cathedral Cove track, which gives access to Gemstone Bay, Mares Leg and Cathedral Cove. Foot access to the Cathedral Cove car park is at the western end of Hahei Beach and vehicle access is up Grange Road (turn left past shops and go all the way to end of Grange Road).

We are proud to have Coromandel's first marine reserve, officially designated in early 1993. It is easily accessed from Hahei Beach and Cathedral Cove. The reserve is named Te Whanganui-A-Hei after a Maori Chief who arrived on the Te Arawa waka (canoe) at the time of the Polynesian migration to New Zealand in the 1300s.

Hot Water Beach - enjoy the unique experience of digging your own natural pool. Within a certain area, naturally occurring hot water bubbles up to fill holes dug in the sand. There are two fissures at Hot Water Beach issuing water as hot as 64˚C (147˚F) at a rate as high as 15 liters/minute. The best time to visit Hot Water Beach is 2 hours either side of low-tide during normal sea conditions.

Cook Beach is a 3km crescent of fine golden sand with safe waters flanked by Shakespeare Cliff to the west and the picnic spot of the Purangi River to the east and can be accessed via Highway 25 (taking the Hot Water Beach turn off).

Front Beach & Flaxmill Bay are sheltered north-facing beaches, providing great swimming and rock exploring. Located between Cooks Beach and Flaxmill Bay is Shakespeare Cliff, an interesting scenic reserve. A very short track leads to a vantage point with memorable views of Mercury Bay. At the site a cairn records the arrival in 1769 of the HMS Endeavour under the command of Lieutenant Captain Cook. "No sea can hurt her..." The famous words of Captain James Cook referring to the original H.M.S. Endeavour. Lonely Bay (walk down from the Shakespeare Reserve) is a highlight of the area.

Whitianga - a delightful place to visit, has been continuously occupied for more than a thousand years since Maori explorer Kupe's tribe settled here after his visit in about 950 A.D. Hop onto the charming little ferryboat at Ferry Landing to visit Whitianga and enjoy the local cuisine, go shopping, visit the thermal pools at "the Lost Spring" or learn more about our local history during a visit to the Mercury Bay Museum.