5x Things to Do and See in Hahei

Hahei, located on The Coromandel, is a beautiful beach resort and a very popular holiday destination for New Zealanders. The offshore islands provide a kind of breakwater, making this sheltered beach ideal for swimming, boating and fishing. In these blogs you will read what you can do here!

1. Take a boat trip to the world-famous Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove is really one of the iconic attractions in the north of New Zealand and an absolute must-visit in The Coromandel. The Cathedral Cove is currently only accessible by boat, kayak or water taxi. Cathedral Cove is a popular tourist destination, with 300,000 visitors annually.

Normally the walk to Cathedral Cove starts from Hahei. However, the world-famous walk has been impassable since July 2023 due to storm damage. At the time of writing, there is still no date known for when this will be resolved. This is to the great frustration of the locals, as Phil, B&B owner of Hahei Bed and Breakfast (absolute recommendation!), where we stayed for 2 nights, also told us.

Tip: check via the Department of Conservation website if the route is now open.

Take the water taxi or speedboat from Hahei to Cathedral Cove

The only, but also the most fun way to reach Cathedral Cove is by boat. For that you have 2 options: a speedboat or the water taxi. The big advantage of a boat trip is that you can also see highlights such as Blowhole and Orua Seacave. You can read all about it in our blog about Cathedral Cove!

2. Take a beach walk at Hahei

Hahei is located on a beautiful beach! And this one is also very accessible. So definitely take a beautiful beach walk here. Do you want to combine this with sunrise? Then you are on the right side, because the sunrise comes up from the sea. You can walk quite a long distance along Hahei. It is free to park your car along the beach.

You can of course also take a beach walk at sunset. You won’t see the sun rise on this side, but it is still wonderful to walk a stretch here. We took a salad with us and enjoyed our dinner here.

3. Make a trip to Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach is known for its unique geothermal activity. Dig your own hot water pool on the beach, where natural hot springs bubble under the sand. And even if you don’t want to dig, it’s fun to watch others do it! The water is really hot when it comes out of the ground. The coast is to mix this with colder seawater.

Tips for Hot Water Beach

• Pay attention to the tides. The ideal time for Hot Water Beach is two hours before or after the tide. You can find this online, but you can also ask at your hotel or B&B
• Bring a shovel. Otherwise digging will be difficult anyway. I felt a bit awkward about sitting in someone else’s hot pool.
• Choose the right parking lot. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of paid parking has also reached Hot Water Beach. This works on a camera system, so make sure you pay. However, you can also park for free at the first parking lot. This one is amusingly called the Middle Car Park (Google Maps). You just have to walk a bit longer.

4. Walk to Te Pare Point Hahei

Te Pare Point is a nice walk to do. You walk up a hill for fantastic views. From there you can also see some highlights of the boat trip. It is not a strenuous walk, but it is also not very well known. You can find it here on Google Maps.

5. Go for a bite to eat in Hahei

Go for a bite to eat at The Church Bistro (more luxurious, reservation necessary!) or The Pour House. At The Pour House you can get all kinds of things. From pizza to fish & chips for a good price. You order at the bar and they then bring the food.

There is not much more choice in the village. In the high season you can also find a supermarket and some fast food there.

Staying overnight in Hahei

Hahei is closest to Cathedral Cove and is a holiday resort for New Zealanders. We were here in November 2023 and it was quite deserted then: all holiday homes were empty. During the summer holidays (which start from Christmas) it will be completely different.

We ourselves stayed at Hahei Bed and Breakfast by Phil & Sue. This was our nicest B&B in all of New Zealand! You are received very hospitably and you are literally welcome in their living room. And the breakfast… that was really fantastic! No wonder they get a 9.7 on Booking.com.

Are you looking for more activities to do in Coromandel?