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Sunset: 18:16
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Current NZ Time:
Thursday
27th March 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 Mar 2025

Valid dates: 1 Sep 2007 -- 31 Dec 2025

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 HIGH tides  |  Low tides 

Show/hide high tides

TimeTide
(msl mm)
Thu, 2025 Mar 27
11:37-623
23:56-737
Fri, 2025 Mar 28
12:33-738
Sat, 2025 Mar 29
00:53-813
13:26-857
Sun, 2025 Mar 30
01:48-884
14:18-964
Mon, 2025 Mar 31
02:42-935
15:09-1041
Tue, 2025 Apr 01
03:34-956
16:00-1079
Wed, 2025 Apr 02
04:27-941
16:51-1073
TimeTide
(msl mm)
Thu, 2025 Apr 03
05:20-892
17:43-1024
Fri, 2025 Apr 04
06:14-817
18:36-942
Sat, 2025 Apr 05
07:11-730
19:31-843
Sun, 2025 Apr 06
07:10-648
19:29-744
Mon, 2025 Apr 07
08:11-586
20:29-660
Tue, 2025 Apr 08
09:13-555
21:28-603
Wed, 2025 Apr 09
10:11-555
22:25-575


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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