Coromandel Day Trip (Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach)

Fantastic tour by JoJo! Very informative about the area and knew exactly where to find the hot spot at Hot Water Beach. Highly recommend taking a day tour and visit some gorgeous areas of New Zealand!

Our day excision outside of Auckland could not have been better. From start to finish our guide Clay had everything planned efficiently. We usually avoid tours while on vacation but if we wanted to see the Coromandel area it was the only logistical way to do it on this trip. Kiwi tours are small group which is great. We felt like locals at the cafe stops as Clay knows everyone and was warmly greeted everywhere. Our “winter" weather could not have been better and Clay’s knowledge at the hot springs beach made enjoying a relaxing soak effortless and heavenly! Even though it was winter it was wonderful and no crowds!It is well known Coromandel is a beautiful part of the world and Kiwi Tours helped us enjoy it to the maximum. Thank you Clay!

This was fantastic. Beautiful scenery and loads of fun. Would highly recommend this tour. Learned a lot and the driver was extremely friendly and informative.

I had a hard time rating this tour. Our guide Clay is the nicest guy and would do anything for you. We had only 4 people and the small number was nice. The stops were great even if the weather was raining and lots of fog so we could not see anything from Mt Paku.. Clay showed us pictures of what the view was supposed to be like - lol. The rain stopped when we got to Hot Water Beach and Clay found a spot to dig our natural spa - be careful the deeper you dig the hotter the water gets. Next was Catherdral Cove - long walk to get to the beach but worth the view when you get there. The rain had stopped during our walk down and was clear when we got to the beaches and cove for beautiful views and pictures. We did get caught in a terrible rain storm on the way up and got soaked to the bone which was a bit uncomfortable while we ate lunch at the great cafe by Hot Water beach although it was terrribly busy even though we were there late due to the heavy rain. Clay felt so bad we had such awful weather and couldnt swim at either location he offered to take us to Hot Springs and pay himself - something although we all appreciated we turned down as by this time we just wanted to get home and out of our wet clothes. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was not for the weather as that is uncontrollable. The disappointment on the tour was the lack of information given. Clay stated he doesnt like to drive and talk and would give us information when we got to locations but got distracted with the other 2 people on our tour- 2 girls who had spent 3 months in Cambodia and Thailand- seeming more interested in swapping stories and getting information about their trip than giving information on our tour - that in itself sometimes made it feel more like he was just a driver and not a tour guide,

This was a great experience. All of the sites visited were amazing. You don't really get much of a guide during your experience though - Clay was not particularly expressive on the drive to the Coromandel Peninsula but was very friendly and helpful while not actively driving, and had to stay with the van for most of the stops as unattended van parking was not allowed.

Excellent day with Kiwi Day Trips. Great to travel in a small group 8 driver Clay. Just a quick stop on way for coffee/breakfast...straight to Hot Water Beach where shovels were provided and Clay started off the digging in the approprate places for us to get a nice warm personal spa! Had plenty of time to experience this phenomenon and a dip in the sea...which was also warm...! Next Cathedral Cove, which was an up and downhill walk of about 30 mins each way...but it is well worth it. 2 gorgeous beaches connected by the cavenous hole in the cliff. Time for lots of photos and a swim...the water seemed a bit cooler here at first, but was fine in a couple of minutes...quite strong waves! On to lunch - Only disappointment was Hot Waves Cafe being closed, but we went on to a Holiday Park with micro-brewery and restaurant...which was fine. A very nice extra to alot of other tours was a trip up Mt Paku with views over Tairua Harbour and a short stop at a beach in Tairua to see Mt Paku from below too before return home. The day was helped by the fabulous hot weather!! Clay was at all times kind, helpful, attentive and gave clear instructions on timing etc. A new company that deserves to do well.