Mautohe Cathedral Cove has received hundreds of visitors daily since the walking track to the famous beach was reinstated late last year.
The walking track leading to the Coromandel beach was damaged in the summer of 2022-2023 when weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle caused significant slips – rendering it unusable. Visitors were still able to access the beach, but only by water.
Since the track’s reopening, the Department of Conversation (DOC) has seen “hundreds” of people visit the beach daily.
DOC said Boxing Day and January 2 were the busiest days, with visitor numbers peaking at more than 800 people.
DOC Hauraki Waikato Taranaki regional director Tinaka Mearns said visitor numbers were returning to pre-Covid levels, “which indicates high demand for the experience offered at this picturesque site”.
“The number of people enjoying the beach demonstrates the value of the investment in reinstating walking access – and the hard work of the staff, iwi, and contractors whose efforts ensured we could open it for this summer.”
DOC said it had also implemented a process to manage weather and link-slide risk at Mautohe Cathedral Cove. The new process established a new criteria for inspecting the site to manage safety around landslide, rockfall, and treefall hazards.
With the influx of visitors, Mearns reminded people that there were no toilets at the beach.
“Anyone visiting the beach should take their waste with them when they leave.”
She also asked people to avoid lingering under the archway near or on the cliff faces.
“An ideal time to visit is during low tide, which provides more space on the beach including distance from the risk of rockfall from the cliff face.”
