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 Cathedral Cove car park, around 2km 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 directly to Cathedral Cove, it will take about 70 minutes. Another option is the 10-minute Cathedral Cove Water Taxi.
If you're driving, leave your car at the Hahei Visitor Car Park on the right-hand side of the entrance to Hahei village and catch a Go Kiwi shuttle (adult/child/family return $5/3/10, every 20 minutes, 9am to 6pm, October to April) to the beginning of the track to Cathedral Cove.
To reduce traffic congestion in and around Hahei, it's recommended all visitors use this car park located around 900m from the beach.
Note that from October to April the car park at Cathedral Cove is closed. From May to September there's limited parking at Grange Rd near Cathedral Cove ($15 for four hours).
