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Lunar Phase
Sunrise: 07:20
Sunset: 17:08
NZ
Current NZ Time:
Tuesday
27th May 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 May 2025

Valid dates: 1 Sep 2007 -- 31 Dec 2025

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 HIGH tides  |  Low tides 

Show/hide high tides

TimeTide
(msl mm)
Tue, 2025 May 27
00:04-783
06:09888
12:29-1036
18:52964
Wed, 2025 May 28
01:01-818
07:04903
13:22-1072
19:461010
Thu, 2025 May 29
01:56-837
07:58896
14:15-1073
20:401025
Fri, 2025 May 30
02:51-835
08:52862
15:07-1037
21:321007
Sat, 2025 May 31
03:45-813
09:46807
15:59-970
22:24962
Sun, 2025 Jun 01
04:39-776
10:40736
16:51-880
23:15898
Mon, 2025 Jun 02
05:33-731
11:34660
17:43-779
TimeTide
(msl mm)
Tue, 2025 Jun 03
00:07824
06:27-686
12:30589
18:35-679
Wed, 2025 Jun 04
00:57750
07:20-650
13:26534
19:28-591
Thu, 2025 Jun 05
01:48685
08:12-627
14:22501
20:22-523
Fri, 2025 Jun 06
02:37635
09:03-620
15:16494
21:15-480
Sat, 2025 Jun 07
03:25601
09:51-629
16:08509
22:06-460
Sun, 2025 Jun 08
04:12582
10:37-650
16:57543
22:56-461
Mon, 2025 Jun 09
04:58576
11:20-680
17:43589
23:44-476


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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