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What's to
see on Coromandel Peninsula
Accommodation
around the Coromandel Peninsula
By
Richard Moore
Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula
is one of those legendary New Zealand places that you need to visit
- even if it is just to say you have been there.
It's
a lovely beach, nestled on the coast down from Hahei and Cathedral
Cove, but it is dangerous and you need to be very careful about
swimming there.
Surf
patrols do run but often the between-the-flags area, that is the
safe watched waters, is quite small.
The
main thing about Hot Water Beach is - as you would suspect from
the name - that you can get piping hot water coming up through the
sands.
 For
two hours either side of low tide lots of people descend upon the
sands armed with shovels and spades and dig their own little spa
pools.
Well,
that is if they get the right spot. The kids and I tried but our
efforts seem to have been at Not-so Hot Water Beach, although plenty
of people around us were sitting in steaming pools.
Now
the thing to do is to dig a hole close to a successful sand spa
and then put a channel from it to your location.
It's
a pretty friendly business and everyone seems to have a good time.
If
you are worried about when low tide is all the shops for kilometres
around will let you know. And you can hire spades and shovels at
two of the stores at the beach itself.
 If
you are going to Hot Water Beach then I can recommend staying at
the Hot Water
Beach Holiday Park.
It
is a new development and is only about five minutes' walk from the
beach itself.
The
amenities are very good and you can pick from camp sites, caravan
or campervan berths, cabins and chalets.
We
stayed in one of the dinghy-shaped chalets and they were comfortable
clean and with all the modern conveniences.
 There
are two single beds upstairs and a double-bed downstairs.
The
campsites are large - deliberately designed that way to allow for
both a bit of privacy - and also space to put up a couple of tents,
park your car and your boat, kayaks or whatever.
Hot
Water Beach Holiday Park is aimed at families and is a very relaxed
place to spend some time.
Check
out the Hot
Water Beach Holiday Park website.
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