Travelogue

Sunset walk along Hahei BeachAs with every trip I plan, Herb and I watch dozens of YouTube videos beforehand of our destination to see what excites us. Then we come up with a rough itinerary.

We had really enjoyed our first four nights exploring the Taupo Volcanic Zone, but we also love beautiful beaches, and the North Island certainly has their fair share of them. Our days of just sunning ourselves on a beach are long over, at least for me, so what we look for is photographic interest, whether that be crashing surf, interesting rock formations, caves, birds, etc.

Sunset walk along Hahei BeachWhat consistently kept coming to the top of the list were the beaches of the Coromandel Peninsula, specifically Cathedral Cove Beach, featuring some of the most photographed coastal scenery in the country. And the best of the best was consistently Cathedral Cove, famous for its massive ignimbrite archway that connects two beautiful white-sand coves.

The best campground by far to stay in the area was the Hahei Beach Resort, which is directly on Hahei Beach. The entire length of this pink-tinted white sand beach is framed by ancient, red-blooming pōhutukawa trees and has lovely views of the Mercury Bay Islands off its shoreline.

Sunset walk along Hahei BeachWe were really happy that we were able to get three nights on one of the powered, beach front sites. Our site was right next to a short path through the dunes to the beach and near the hot tub that we would take advantage of at some point.

Since it was already mid-afternoon when we arrived, I just took my beach chair and a book down to the beach and chilled for a while. Meanwhile, Herb stayed back at the campervan and did something very uncharacteristic of him - research possible destinations for the last 2 unplanned nights of our trip. Wow! I always did the planning, but it was kind of nice to have someone else do it for a change. I have to admit he came up with some really good ideas.

Sunset walk along Hahei BeachThe other thing I loved about this resort was that it had on-site dining - nothing fancy, just burgers and pizza, but quite good. So that night, we just walked to The Deck where we had burgers and listened to live music.

After dinner we took a sunset walk along the beach taking photos of the beautiful Mercury Islands all aglow in the Golden Hour.

Te Pare ReserveThe next morning we set off on a hike to the nearby Te Pare Reserve. This was to be our first hike of two today, the second being the extremely popular Mautohe Cathedral Cove Track, which we would do later this afternoon. What was great about our campground was that we could start both of them right from our campsite, so there was no need to move the campervan.

The Reserve is located at the southern end of Hahei Beach. In fact we could see the grassy summit from our campsite.

View from Te Pare Summit LookoutWhen the tide is low, you can access the trailhead by crossing the small stream at the end of the beach. However, since it was high tide, we had to take the longer way around to the end of Pa Road.

The trail started off through a grove of ancient pōhutukawa trees. They are called the "New Zealand Christmas Tree," because of their red flowers that bloom in December and January. Wow! Being in the Southern Hemisphere I almost forgot Christmas was coming soon.

Ghost Tree Te Pare SummitFurther along there were some terraces carved into the hillside. These were the remains of two Ngāti Hei fortified villages (Pās). (For the local Māori tribe, Ngāti Hei,

Not much further (this is a short hike), we came to the Summit Lookout, atop a grassy headland. From there we could see the entire length of Hahei Beach and the white cliffs leading towards Cathedral Cove to the North and the Mercury Island and smaller sea stacks off the shore.

Hidden CoveFrom the Summit Lookout, we noticed a single, wind-swept dead tree at the end of a narrow, grassy spur trail leading out to the top of a cliff.

Of course, we had to follow it. At the end, we gazed down over the 80-meter cliffs, into a hidden, rocky cove below, filled with swaying kelp.

Yummy Eggs Benedict with SalmonOn our way back, rather than go back to the campground, we decided to get a late breakfast at the Hahei Village Cafe in the center of the tiny village of Hahei. I had looked at the menu yesterday and had been dreaming of the eggs benedict with salmon.

It was a really close call though. They stopped serving breakfast at 11:00 am, and we got there at 10:57 am. I think I would have cried if I had been denied my favorite New Zealand breakfast. It was delicious and perfectly paired with a decadent iced mocha with whip cream.

He looks so innocentWhen we got back to the campervan, I had a trip highlight. Earlier that morning, Herb and I had a debate about whether it was smart to leave the campervan door open while we were sitting outside. I feared sandflies might get in.

He poo-pooed me on that (words that would come back to haunt him). Because a little house sparrow did fly in that morning and I had to scare him out. It was only when we got back that we noticed that the little bird had poo-pooed back and on Herb’s pillow. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Our next activity for the day, and the main reason we came to the Coromandel Peninsula, was to hike the Cathedral Cove Track, to see one of New Zealand's most iconic coastal landmarks.

Cathedral Cove ArchAnother advantage to staying at Hahei Beach Resort was that we could walk to Cathedral Cove right from our campsite, although getting to the trailhead had become longer because of damage to parts of the trail from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, one of the worst storms in New Zealand’s history..

Apparently this storm had been a doozy, essentially cutting off the Coromandel Peninsula from the rest of the North Island.

The damage to the Cathedral Cove Track was particularly devastating. Massive landslides removed sections of the track and caused the cliffs to become unstable. The trail remained closed for nearly two years. The only way to get to the Cove was by kayak or boat.

Mossy GrottoAfter extensive rerouting and engineering, it reopened in December of 2024.

However, the start of the track which connects the western end of Hahei Beach to the Grange Road entrance is still closed. That meant that we had to take the detour and hike inland, through Hahei Village where we had just had our eggs benedict, then right onto Grange Road. Once on Grange Road it was a fairly steep 25 minute uphill walk to the trailhead. We had already hiked 1.4 miles, and we were just getting to the trailhead.

Smiling Sphinx RockFrom there we got on the main track to Cathedral Cove. All of the side tracks we passed to lookouts like Gemstone Cove and Stingray Bay were still closed due to damage from Cyclone Garbrielle.

The walk from the trailhead to Cathedral Cove was about 2 miles. It was a lot easier than I expected, as most of the way was along paved or a gravel path. The side tracks to the closed viewpoints were probably a bit rougher.

Jumping RockThe final descent to the beach was a long wooden staircase with about 150 steps that led directly from the cliffs down onto the golden sand of the cove.

At the top of these stairs, and directly above the famous Cathedral Arch, is the site of Te Mautohe Pa, a fortified village occupied by the Ngāti Hei people from the 14th century through the early 19th century.

Te Hoho RockFrom these high cliffs, Ngāti Hei warriors would monitor the entire coastline, spotting incoming war canoes (waka taua) from many miles away.

Although we didn’t know enough to look for them at the time, there are still some remains of maioro (defensive ditches) on the headland.

So what to us is an incredibly scenic beach and a place to recreate was once, and still is, a sacred ancestral place, called Mautohe, for the Ngāti Hei tribe, for whom the waters and the rock formations on the beach are seen as living connections to their ancestors.

Te Hoho RockThe most famous and iconic rock formation on the beach is the “Cathedral” Arch, a massive, 30-meter white ignimbrite archway that connects two secluded beaches: Mares Leg Cove (where the stairs down to the beach ended) and Cathedral (Mautohe) Cove (where the iconic Te Hoho Rock is located).

This Arch was made famous for its role as the “Gateway to Narnia" in the 2008 film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It was the spot where the Pevensie children first realize they have returned to Narnia.

Time for our boat tourWhen reaching the bottom of the walkway, most people immediately head left to the Arch, so we went to the right to a lovely fern-lined, mossy grotto at the southern end of the beach - much more serene and peaceful.

Because water seeps through the porous ignimbrite rock rather than just tumbling over the edge, it creates a lush vertical garden within the grotto. The contrast between the lush vibrant greens and the stark, dry white ignimbrite cliffs everywhere else was striking.

Te Whanganui-o-Hei Marine ReserveAll the rocks and cliffs in the cove are made of ignimbrite, a soft, pink and white volcanic rock formed from pumice and ash during eruptions over 8 million years ago.

Probably my favorite rock formation was a sea stack just off the shoreline of Mares Leg Beach, called Smiling Sphinx Rock, also known as Whakadriqui Rock.

Although I didn’t quite see it, the rock got its name because at certain angles the top of the rock looks like a carved human head with an enigmatic smile (like the Egyptian Sphinx), sitting atop a lion-like body. Okay, maybe I see it a little bit.

Te Whanganui-o-Hei Marine ReserveIt was low tide now, so it appeared to be standing atop a pedestal as if on display in a museum.

There was another long flat rock a bit further out that was a popular place for jumping into the water. While it didn’t look too high, I watched one man make over a dozen false starts to gain the courage to leap into the water. I’m not sure if he ever did, because I gave up watching.

From Mares Leg Cove, we joined the crowds and walked under Cathedral Arch, pausing to take the iconic photo of the Arch framing Te Hoho Rock, a pinnacle-shaped rock stack just off the shore of Cathedral Cove.

Orua Sea CaveThis one is described as looking like the prow of a giant ship or a jagged tooth rising from the turquoise water. Hmm…I’ll go with tooth.

I can understand why Cathedral Beach is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

From there we climbed the 150 steps back up to the headlands and retraced our steps back to the campground.

Orua Sea Cave BlowholeBetween this hike and the one to the Te Pare Reserve this morning, we had hiked a little over 10 miles today.

For our last full day at Hahei Beach, we took a morning boat cruise with Hahei Explorer Cathedral Cove Boat Tours to get a different perspective of Cathedral Beach from the water.

It couldn’t get any more convenient, as the boats left right from the southern end of Hahei Beach, just a short walk from our campsite.

Lolo photographing the BlowholeI thought we had pretty much seen everything there was to see at Cathedral Cove, but this boat tour was so much more.

The boat was an open-air, rigid-hull inflatable that could fit 10–14 passengers, but fortunately this morning there was only one more couple joining us on our tour.

After wading out and climbing into the boat, we headed out directly into the heart of the Te Whanganui-o-Hei Marine Reserve, which was established in 1992 to protect the rich biodiversity of this volcanic coastline.

Fishies in the Orua Sea CaveThese waters were vital seasonal fishing grounds for the Ngāti Hei people, who occupied both the coastline and the offshore islands.

The Reserve has been a very successful partnership between the Ngāti Hei people, who have been guardians (kaitiaki) of this land and sea for over 26 generations, and the Department of Conservation (DOC).

The boat took us along about 9 miles of ancient volcanic coastline as well as out to several islands. Along the way, our knowledgeable captain gave us a history of the significance of these waters to the Ngāti Hei people.

Champagne RockThe Hahei Explorer was small enough to be able to navigate into tight spaces that larger vessels can’t reach, giving us a perspective of the cliffs and caves that we couldn’t get from the land or even a larger boat.

One of the main highlights was venturing into the Orua Sea Cave, the second largest sea cave in New Zealand, gazing up at the blowhole 80 feet above us.

Of course, we cruised along the shoreline of Cathedral Cove, but we were not allowed to disembark. Thankfully, we had spent plenty of time ashore yesterday.

The boat tour lasted about an hour, which went very quickly.

Nice way to end the dayNow we had the whole day with nothing else planned, so after another walk to the Hahei Village Cafe for Eggs Benedict with salmon, we spent the rest of the day relaxing on Hahei Beach and then relaxing some more in the campground’s hot tub which we had reserved for an hour starting at 5:00.

Hahei Beach had been a great stop and it definitely needed 3 nights to do everything we wanted to do.

Tomorrow we would head to one of those destinations Herb had researched - Piha Beach.