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Sunrise: 06:56
Sunset: 17:34
NZ
Current NZ Time:
Sunday
27th April 2025

World Famous
Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach is NOT a secret! It is known around the world!

Hot Water Beach is located along New Zealand's Pacific coast just south of Mercury Bay at the northeast tip of the Coromandel Peninsula (map).

Hot Sand!
© Whitianga Focus — used by permission.
Hot Water Beach — a playground for all ages!
NOT to be missed!

If you're coming to Hot Water Beach, you need to know ...


What is it?

Some volcanos develop huge underground reservoirs of superheated water. Over time, this water will escape to the surface — cooling on the way. There are two fissures at Hot Water Beach issuing water as hot as 64ºC (147ºF) at a rate as high as 15 litres/minute. This water contains large amounts of salt (NOT salt water), calcium, magnesium, potassium, fluorine, bromine and silica. There are other hot water springs nearby but the location of these two springs on the beach make them unique.

Hot Water Beach
Daily Low Tides

27 Apr 2025

Valid dates: 1 Sep 2007 -- 31 Dec 2025

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 HIGH tides  |  Low tides 

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TimeTide
(msl mm)
Sun, 2025 Apr 27
05:40876
11:59-937
18:17888
Mon, 2025 Apr 28
00:25-846
06:34934
12:53-1028
19:12976
Tue, 2025 Apr 29
01:21-891
07:28968
13:45-1087
20:051032
Wed, 2025 Apr 30
02:15-910
08:20970
14:37-1105
20:581050
Thu, 2025 May 01
03:09-898
09:13937
15:29-1079
21:511029
Fri, 2025 May 02
04:03-858
10:06873
16:21-1014
22:45975
Sat, 2025 May 03
04:58-797
11:00786
17:14-920
23:39900
TimeTide
(msl mm)
Sun, 2025 May 04
05:54-728
11:56691
18:08-812
Mon, 2025 May 05
00:33816
06:51-663
12:54603
19:04-706
Tue, 2025 May 06
01:29737
07:49-615
13:54536
20:01-616
Wed, 2025 May 07
02:24674
08:47-590
14:54499
20:58-551
Thu, 2025 May 08
03:17633
09:41-589
15:51493
21:53-515
Fri, 2025 May 09
04:08612
10:31-608
16:44513
22:45-505
Sat, 2025 May 10
04:55608
11:17-641
17:32552
23:33-513


Tide times are LOCAL (NZST or NZDT).

Tide height in mm from Mean Sea Level.
The lower the low tide,
(the more negative the tide height),
the more time that the thermal spring
on the beach will be "uncovered."

Database created, maintained and
Copyright © 1998-2025 by Data Koncepts
All rights reserved.

Database content
Copyright © 2007 - 2025 by NIWA
All rights reserved.

Printable tide data for this month.

Get more Hot Water Beach info.


When?

The short answer is: ONE hour either side of low tide (okay, up to two hours but only if the low tide is REALLY low). Plan to arrive BEFORE low tide to (a) stake-out a place for digging your 'spa' (Hot Water Beach DOES get crowded) and (b) allow for some relaxation in your 'spa' before the tide rises and reclaims the beach, 'spas' and all.

A table of low tides is displayed to the right. The low tide table starts TODAY (as defined on our server) and provides two weeks of low tides so you can plan your visit to Hot Water Beach. If you're not interested in the next two weeks, update the day, month and year and you'll see the low tides from that date -- within the range from 1 Aug 2007 to 31 Dec 2025. Now you can plan your visit to Mercury Bay -- and Hot Water Beach!

What?

WARNING!

Beware of the rip tides common to Hot Water Beach!
(Most prevalent near the offshore rocks - don't try to swim to them!)

If you feel yourself being taken from the shore by a current, DO NOT try to swim back to the shore - you will NOT succeed! Swim parallel to the beach until the current subsides THEN swim back to shore.

Hot Water Beach has seen many drownings for the failure of visitors to heed these simple precautions and we don't want to lose any more!

How to get here?

There's only one way. Take State Highway 25 to Whenuakite where the only notable junction is the road to Hot Water Beach, Cook's Beach and Hahei/Cathedral Cove. Stay on the main road until you see the (right) turn to Hot Water Beach (~8 km). Please pay attention to the speed limit on this road as it gives a good indication of the road condition -- which is paved right up to the car park.

Of course, NO visit to New Zealand would be complete without sitting on the beach in your own private hot pool at the world renowned Hot Water Beach!

How much does it co$t?

Sorry, the New Zealand government has yet to tax the natural thermal springs such as this one on the beach (all New Zealand beaches are open to the public) so there is NO CHARGE! Of course, if you'd like to have an ice cream, drink or sandwich at the shop (conveniently located at the car park), those are not free. It's true that there's "no free lunch," but ...

Hot Water Beach is FREE!

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