After departing the campground at Haehei we looked at the NZMCA App for any other campgrounds that might be close and were also part of the camp saver scheme. We found a couple including the one at Cooks Beach which according to the reviews was a great place to stay. Getting there meant driving past the turn off to Hot Water Beach. I was there back in 2017 with two of my sons but Sarah hadn’t visited for some years. It was time to continue playing tourist in our own country in an area we haven’t come to very often. Its easy to make all sorts of excuses to ourselves as to why we haven’t come but its not that far from Auckland and is certainly a beautiful part of the country. Time to make amends.
The last time I was there, with my son’s, I parked the motorhome at the first carpark you come across on the road beside the beach. That turned out to be quite some distance from the hot water and quite a walk along the beach. We wanted to experience the famed hot water under the sands but finding a spot of vacant sand proved rather difficult. That day more by luck than good management we had timed things perfectly with the tide out giving access to the hot water underneath. We just didn’t realise how popular the place was with the hoardes of people there. Despite the size of the beach the area to uncover the hot water is actually quite small by comparison. Still once we found a vacant spot it was just as simple as just digging a hole and waiting for the water to bubble up.
This time we managed to park a lot closer to the action. However we didn’t time things well at all, with the tide almost fully in. In the photo above, the spot where the hot water can be found is where the two rocks you can see sticking out of the water are. The recommended times to visit are two hours either side of low tide. So there would be no free beach spa for us that day. Maybe it was because the tide was in or maybe it was because we were still in the last throws of winter but the beach was deserted. So empty that we had the whole carpark area to ourselves. Parking here and all parking near the beach is metered but we didn’t think anyone would be monitoring things on that day. Its one of the very few carparks we have come across that has spaces large enough and dedicated to motorhomes, well done TDC.
Freedom camping is prohibited here with the nearest spots being the ones in Tairua. However, there is a campground here. It’s set quite a way back from the beach but does have a dedicated walkway alongside the road for access. We did go for a bit of an explore and it looked very well set out with all sorts of available spaces to meet your camping needs but it wasn’t where we had planned on staying. And with not a lot else to do here other than wait for the tide to go out we decided to move onto Cooks Beach and have an explore there.
Checking into the campground at Cooks Beach was easy and very casual. We were told we could park up pretty much anywhere as they were very quiet. With very few tourists on the road at that time of the year and the ones in the slider vans choosing to camp elsewhere at less cost, it was the perfect time for us to be away. Only a couple of spots in the camp were taken so we chose one or should I say two, with permission given to park longways if we wanted to. Actually once I paced it out we could easily have parked within one space but with almost no-one at the campground we decided it didn’t matter.
How unusual 🤣for us. We had barely parked up before we were out walking the local trails. From the campground you can follow a track alongside the road that takes you to the start of the Shakespeare Cliff Reserve walkway. At about the halfway point there is a path down to Lonely Bay a beautiful white sandy beach. With only one other couple there it felt very private and had it not been winter I might have even been tempted to swim given how lovely the water looked. The trail itself has multiple well formed pathways leading off in different directions all well signposted so not much chance of getting lost.
For what it’s worth we could easily have cycled most of this trail and even the areas with lots of steps can be bypassed with the exception of the pathway down to Lonely Bay. Although you could do what the couple who were down there had done, and leave your bikes padlocked together at the top of the track and walk down. Certainly, riding would have made the journey to the lookout a lot easier and faster.
The view from the top of the cliff at the lookout, looking back over Cooks Beach made the walk worthwhile. But we weren’t done with our exploring yet. From the lookout you can walk down to Flaxmill bay and from there it’s only a short walk to the wharf where the ferry to Whitianga comes and goes on a regular basis. In fact it seemed to run whenever there was somone who wanted to cross and since it only took about three minutes to cross it was a quick on demand type service. Although in winter I wonder how close it goes to paying its way with only one or two passengers on board.
Back at the campground after what must have been about a ten kilometre walk it was time to soak some tired bones. You cannot see it in this photo but there is also a large spa pool available year round. I must say the soak in the hot water certainly felt nice easing those tired legs. I was nowhere near brave enough to try the pools but I am sure these are very popular in the warmer months.
Before departing the following day there was time for one quick bike ride through the settlement and to the Captain Cook memorial. This is the point where the transit of the sun by Mercury was observed on the 1769 voyage. Not being a history student I didn’t know much about this but this observation was very important in being able to work out exactly where in the world they were. Also since it happens on a such irregular basis (3 to 13 years apart) they must have wished and prayed that the sky was clear that day. Knowing the exact time of the crossing was cructial to help establish the geographic cooridnates of New Zealand. It was also here six days later that Cook claimed the area for England and the King. There are a couple of information boards that cover things in more detail for those interested.
All in all, the camp was a fabulous place, clean, tidy and we are glad we stayed. It’s one that we will certainly come back too one day when the water is warm enough to swim in. But probably not in peak summertime however knowing how busy places like this get. We are quite content to leave places like these to the tourists during peak season and make our visits during the shoulder seasons. We have one final stop to make on this journey, and the subject of the next blog, before its back home for a couple of birthday celebrations.
And a very yummy cake it was too!
To view the places we have visited click here to see them on Google maps. You can then click the link to read the blog about that area.
Licenced To Retire 
Thank you for evoking old memories of Ian & I doing similar to you both loved that area & now relived through your journey. Lyn & Ian and
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