Hot Water Beach, located on the Coromandel Peninsula, is one of the most famous beaches in New Zealand.
There are two natural hot water springs underneath the sand, and if you visit at low tide, you can dig a hole and create your own natural hot tub on the beach!
To find the hot water area, head towards the rocks at the southern end of the beach. Be sure to visit for two hours on either side of the low tide, as the tide is low enough to expose the area of sand with the hot water underneath.
Know before you go
Check the tide times before visiting. You must visit Hot Water Beach at low tide; otherwise, the ocean will completely cover the hot pools.
Make sure to bring a spade. If you don't have one, you can rent them from Hotties Cafe, Hot Water Beach Cafe, or the Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park (free for guests).
Some areas of the beach are scorching, and the water can reach temperatures of up to 64°C, so test the water before sitting in it.
Personal note
I have a love/hate relationship with Hot Water Beach. It's such a unique experience and I haven't heard of anywhere else in the world like it, but it can get extremely busy, especially in the summer. It's the busiest beach I've ever been to in NZ, so I recommend going very early in the day.
How to get there
Hot Water Beach is about 2.5 hours from Auckland (175km). If you're coming from Tauranga, it’s a 2-hour drive (140km), and from Hamilton, it's about 2.5 hours (160km). The drive up the eastern coast of the Coromandel is beautiful, so make sure to factor in extra time so you can stop along the way.
You don't have to pay to visit Hot Water Beach, but you do have to pay to park your car. Pay-and-display parking at the Hot Water Beach shop car park is $4 per hour or $25 per day, and the Taiwawe (Bull Paddock) car park is $2 per hour or $15 per day.
