Hahei & Cooks Beach
COOKS BEACH
This long sandy beach which caught Capt Cook's eye is an ideal place to unwind and explore beautiful Mercury Bay. Cooks Beach is flanked by Shakespeare Cliff to the west and sheltered and picturesque Purangi Estuary to the east.
The area boasts some of NZ's oldest history - Capt James Cook sailed on the HMS Endeavour into Mercury Bay in 1769 and made anchor at Cooks Beach off Purangi. Strangely enough he had chosen the same bay that Kupe, the mythical Polynesian explorer had chosen when he first landed in New Zealand calling it Aotearoa.
A short distance away at Ferry Landing is one of NZ's oldest Maori pa sites with Kupe, the famous Tahitian explorer & his people setting foot in Whitianga in 950AD.
Nearby, Ferry Landing is the oldest stone wharf in Australasia, built in 1837. Ferry passengers can cross the harbour to the attractive township of Whitianga from this historic site.
Located between Cooks Beach and Ferry Landing are the sheltered and white, sandy beaches of Front Beach & Flaxmill Bay providing a captivating walk along the water's edge to Shakespeare Reserve. Bush tracks over the reserve lead to a vantage point with memorable views of Mercury Bay and where you can view the Cook Memorial. A highlight of the walk is the walk down to beautiful Lonely Bay - an artist's dream - with its white sand of crushed shells and enormous limestone boulders!
Like Capt Cooks once discovered, Cooks Beach is one of Coromandel Peninsula's best kept secrets!
HAHEI
The gateway to world famous Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Within these areas you can bathe in the natural thermal springs at Hot Water Beach, visit Cathedral Cove and explore the marine wildlife in the Hahei Marine Reserve. Whilst visiting the area, discover many of the fun activities on offer. Scenic adventure boat trips, sea kayaking, scuba diving, surfing, scooter rides and more... also on offer is a wide range of tantalising restaurants/cafes/ice cream parlours to satisfy your taste buds.
Art galleries and gift shops are spread across the areas as well as an exciting range of accommodation.
From the lookout of this attractive beach (named after the Maori Chief Hei) there is access to Cathedral Cove and the Marine Reserve.
CATHEDRAL COVE - Accessible only on foot or by boat, famous Cathedral Cove is one of the “must visit” sites on the Coromandel Peninsula. The track begins at the northern end of Hahei. Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve, Te Whanganui- A-Hei, covers 9 square kilometres and is New Zealand’s sixth marine reserve. It is administered by the Department of Conservation. This site was chosen for a marine reserve because of the rich and varied habitats associated with the coastline and outlying islands. Reefs of hard rock, soft sediments, intricate caves and underwater arches provide homes for complex communities of plants, crustaceans, molluscs and fish. Sheltered from the worst of the southerly winds Te Whanganui-A-Hei gives visitors an opportunity to learn from and enjoy an unspoilt marine environment.
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).
Just around the corner is Hot Water Beach, make sure you take take time to visit Hot Water Beach - Some volcanos develop huge underground reservoirs of superheated water. Over time, this water will escape to the surface — cooling on the way. There are two fissures at Hot Water Beach issuing water as hot as 64?C (147?F) at a rate as high as 15 litres/minute. This water contains large amounts of salt (NOT salt water), calcium, magnesium, potassium, fluorine, bromine and silica. There are other hot water springs nearby but the location of these two springs on the beach make them unique. The hot springs are only accessible at low tide, however more often than not two hours each side of low tide, will still provide you with an opportunity to dig your own spa. Spades are available for hire at a local store
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