Photo by Alfo Medeiros on Pexels
🇳🇿 New Zealand · Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato
♨ Temperature
64°C
⛰ Altitude
2 m
⚗ pH
7
💧 TDS
1100 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
Variable (tidal)
📅 Established
Known to Māori since ancient times; Waikato Tainui taonga site
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
Hot Water Beach is one of the most unusual and accessible geothermal experiences in New Zealand. On the eastern shore of the Coromandel Peninsula, a fault beneath the beach forces superheated groundwater upward through the sand in a defined area roughly 50 metres wide. At low tide, the ocean retreats sufficiently to expose this geothermal zone, and visitors use spades to dig pools in the sand — within minutes, water seeping up from below fills the hole at temperatures between 40°C and 64°C depending on depth and proximity to the main vents. The pools are temporary: the tide returns and erases them twice a day. The two-hour window either side of low tide is the optimal bathing period. The water is moderately mineralized with dissolved silica and sodium chloride, heated by a geothermal system connected to the Coromandel volcanic arc. The setting is a north-facing beach, making it warm and sheltered during summer. Behind the beach, the Coromandel Forest Park contains some of the most significant remaining kauri forest in the North Island. The site has been significant to Hauraki Māori for centuries as a place of healing and as a source of warm water for cooking.
| Silica | 168 mg/L |
| Sodium | 184 mg/L |
| Chloride | 188 mg/L |
| Bicarbonate | 124 mg/L |
| Calcium | 48 mg/L |
| Sulphate | 36 mg/L |
Hot Water Beach is within the rohe (territory) of the Hauraki iwi — specifically Ngāti Hei, who have lived on the Coromandel Peninsula since at least the 14th century. The site is recognized as a taonga (treasure) in the Hauraki Collective Deed of Settlement, which acknowledged Māori cultural and spiritual connections to the Coromandel's geothermal and coastal resources. Ngāti Hei have historically used the warm water for food preparation and bathing.
Hot Water Beach has become one of the defining experiences of the 'Coromandel summer' — a fixture of New Zealand domestic tourism that combines beach culture with the country's volcanic geology in an unusually democratic and participatory way. The ritual of arriving at low tide with a hired spade and racing to claim a good patch of sand has no direct equivalent at any other hot spring in the world. The beach is free to visit; spades are rented from local cafés.
Hot Water Beach is a public recreational reserve managed by the Thames-Coromandel District Council. The geothermal system is entirely natural and requires no infrastructure. The surrounding Coromandel Forest Park is one of New Zealand's most significant areas for kauri dieback disease management, and the approach road is managed under biosecurity protocols.
Websitewww.thecoromandel.com
AddressHot Water Beach Road, Coromandel, Waikato 3591, New Zealand