Beautiful Cathedral Cove, with its famous gigantic stone arch and natural waterfall shower, is best enjoyed early or late in the day – avoiding the worst of the hordes. From the car park, a kilometre north of Hahei, it’s a rolling walk of around 30 to 40 minutes. On the way there’s rocky Gemstone Bay , which has a snorkelling trail where you’re likely to see big snapper, crayfish and stingrays, and sandy Stingray Bay .
If you walk from Hahei Beach to Cathedral Cove, it will take about 70 minutes. Other options are to take the 10-minute Cathedral Cove Water Taxi or the Beach Bus from Go Kiwi Shuttles. Note that over the peak summer months, both the car park and the cove itself can be exceptionally busy.
