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Visiting the Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel Peninsula located in New Zealand is one of the most awesome things we’ve done. When I first heard of the Hot Water Beach, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was the sand hot, or was it the ocean water? I had lots of questions and couldn’t wait to see it for myself. This post outlines a few things I wish I knew prior to visiting such as Hot Water Beach tides and much more, in the hopes that you can be better prepared than I was.
The hot water at the Hot Water Beach is basically comes from underground hot spring which filter up through the sand during low tide. It is one of the most popular geothermal attractions in the North Island of New Zealand. This water contains large amounts of magnesium, calcium, bromine, potassium, silica and fluorine.
We visited the Hot Water Beach in February of 2018 with the boys and had a blast there. We road tripped around New Zealand with stops stops in Auckland, Waiheke Island, Rotorua and then finally Coromandel where the hot water beach is located.
Hope you find these tips below helpful when planning your trip:
- Visit During Low Tide
The best time to visit the Hot Water Beach, is during low tide. You can check low tide times here or simply google what time low tide will be on the day you plan to visit. Go one to two hours on either side of low tide, and expect to spend at least an hour to two hours there.
- Find A Safe Spot To Dig
Remember that the entire beach isn’t hot, so pick a spot that you know will have some hot water when you dig, but make sure that spot isn’t too close to the danger sign. The water gets as hot as 64C (147F) so be careful. The danger sign is there for a reason, and the water and sand in that area are extremely hot. If you get tired of digging or can’t seem to get to the hot water, partner up with someone, or just wait till someone leaves and you can take over.
- Take A Bucket
Take a bucket with you, or borrow one from someone nearby if you have to. After digging, you may notice that your mini spa (because that’s exactly what it was, lol) is way hotter than you expected and this is where a bucket comes in handy. You can fetch some water from the beach which is much colder to bring the temperarture down. We didn’t have a bucket and no one around us had one when we visited, so we went back and forth from the our mini spa/jacuzzi to the beach in order not to overheat.
- Keep An Eye On Your Kids
Keep your kids around you and within your sight at all times while at the hot water beach. There is an area with a danger sign, and the sign is there for a good reason. While walking across the beach, I stepped on a really hot area of the sand and almost burned the soles of my feet. So be very careful.
- Pack Water And Snacks
I suggest freezing a few bottles of water and taking it with you. After sitting in the hot water and under the sun for a while, you will begin to get dehydrated, and the ice should have melted by now so you’ll be able to drink cool water. We didn’t have any water and the kids and I were so thirsty so I had to run to the little shop by the beach to buy water.
- Visit On A Weekday
The Hot Water Beach can get very crowded. Everyone wants to experience it as well as dig as close to hot areas. If you go on a weekend, it is guarantee that you’ll have a hard time finding a good spot, so keep this in mind when planning. If a weekend is the only time you have available, then make sure to get there as early as possible to beat the crowds.
- Bring or Rent Your Own Shovel
You can bring your own shovel or rent one for as cheap as $5NZ from the life guards on site. Just keep an eye on it and return it when your done with it. You don’t need to leave a deposit or anything, just pay $5NZ and the shovel is yours for the day.
- Pack A Few Beach Toys
Pack beach toys for the kids. The boys were excited about the shovels and digging, but they really wish they had sand / beach toys. They asked me a few times and unfortunately there was no place close by to purchase some beach toys for them.
- Watch Out For The Rip Currents & Waves
Keep in mind that this beach is not for inexperienced swimmers. The hot water beach is well known for strong and fast forming rip currents and waves that can be very dangerous. Make sure you pay attention to that. If your kids insist on going in the water, make sure you go in with them so you can be there in case any issue arises.
- Fly Your Drone With Caution
Make sure to check your surroundings before flying your drone. Our drone got stuck in the tree branches and my husband had to hike up this rock to fish the drone out. The drone footage was pretty nice too.
Bonus Tips:
- Cathedral Cove – is close to the Hot Water Beach, if you can, visit both on the same day, we did. You can read about it here “Coromandel Peninsula With Kids“
- Have Fun – You and your family will enjoy it no doubt, so make the best out of it!!
