Hot Water Beach New Zealand

Normal people would go visit the Hot Water Beach and create their own spa pools in the afternoon low tide. I joined them on 4th March 2010 at about 6pm (low tide 5pm - and the best time to get the hot spring is 2 hours either side of the low-tide) - see photos.

The next day, totally unplanned, I woke up early and dared to be different (or you may say crazy) to catch the dawn low tide at 5am! I had the Hot Water Beach to myself from 4am to 5.30am on 5th March, under the bright moonlit and starry sky... it was a bit scarry when the moon was hidden by the clouds once a while - the song "bad moon rising" rang in my ears...I was prepared for any intruder by arming myself with a shovel (from the motel I was staying) and simply naked waist up (with nothing valuable to attract any robber). When I was in the private spa beach..... only the moon could see my entire nakedness....and later it was thrilled to have a shower at the open public shower station at the Hahei car park at 5.45am - carefree, everything hanging loose, cool and refreshing.....

For those who have not been to the Hot Water Beach... there are 2 hot springs about 10 metres apart at the beach which come up from a hot water reservoir some 2 km down in the earth surface, resultant of some volcanic activities some 5-8 million years ago. The spring water temperature can be high as 65 degree C (it actually burns the skin)... a combination of hot spring and cold sea water was a good spa mixture. This is unique to NZ.

Hot Water Beach is situated on the east coast of The Coromandel Peninsula, near a town called Whitianga, about 2 hours drive from Auckland. You can drive all the way to Hahei Beach or you can take a ferry from Whitinga ($4 return for a 20 mins journey) to Ferry Landing, from which you can catch a taxi for another 15 km to the Hot Water Beach.

Go try it. Try it my way?