Hot Water Beach is an Aotearoa New Zeland Must Do and one of its most intriguing places. From the sound of surging waves to the surprising warmth of hot sand underneath your bare feet at low tide, Hot Water Beach presents a landscape and an atmosphere like nowhere else.
Popular for a patch of thermal water bubbling just beneath the surface of the beach at low tide, Hot Water Beach has achieved cult-like status as a worldwide wonder right here on The Coromandel. Visitors flock to the usually deserted Hot Water Beach two hours either side of low tide. The lure of hot water brings people in buses, campervans, tour groups and rental vehicles. They pull into the recently expanded carparks with a mixture of excitement, fascination and anticipation on their faces.
At high tide, the beach appears much as you might expect - dramatic rolling surf, craggy rock-edged coastline, vast horizon with the shadowy glimpse of islands in the distance. At low-tide, the scene is spectacularly altered. Every day, (and nights with a full moon) without exception for weather, holiday, season or circumstance, you will find a community of people gathered within a 20 metre radius. They will be industriously digging a small pool or soaking in the rewarding results of theirs or someone else’s earlier efforts. The water is hot - up to 64 degrees Celsius.
The main ‘Pay and Display’ car park is situated at the southernmost end of Hot Water Beach. It has restroom facilities, including outdoor cold showers. It is a 24-hour carpark and charges apply. Adventure awaits just beyond the shallow stream which must be walked across, pants rolled up and towels and shovels in arms in order to get to the ‘Hot Rock’ about 200 metres along the beach.
A larger carpark further back along the road offers overflow paid parking and restrooms, and a pleasant stroll alongside the ‘Pa Track’ beside the stream if you prefer not to wade through water.
The tide will determine when you visit Hot Water Beach. But it is up to you how long to stay.
Hot Water Beach is a place favoured by intrepid adventurers and sight-seers alike. It offers a little work, a little play and a lot of relaxation in a setting at once social and solitary.
On a cold Coromandel day - or a rainy one - a trip to Hot Water Beach cannot be beat.
This stretch of surf is hazardous, with dangerous rips challenging even the strongest of swimmers. Caution is advised. Paddle with care, even when wading knee deep at Hot Water Beach. Volunteer lifeguards patrol the beach every weekend from Labour Weekend until Easter during summer. Regional guards patrol the beach from December until February.
Always swim between the flags, and beware of rips and holes. Check our local patrolled beaches https://www.safeswim.org.nz/
Where to Find Us
Location
Pye Place
Hot Water Beach 3510
New Zealand
