Coromandel: Hot spot on the seashore

Hot Water Beach.

Meander down to the beach, dig yourself a hole and wallow in the thermal water, says Sarah Ell.

The good old Kiwi seaside campground has become an endangered species, especially in areas such as the Coromandel where beachfront property is in hot demand. One of the losses was the campground right on the estuary at Hot Water Beach.

But the good news is, a few years later it was replaced by a super-duper Top 10 version, which won Best Grounds at this year's Holiday Parks Association awards. The well-landscaped park is about 500m from the beach, up a quiet and sheltered valley, with a boardwalk and pathway leading down to the action.

The tide is in when we arrive — no hot water until the following morning when the tide is low enough to expose the natural springs — so we content ourselves with exploring the beach and rocks in the spring sunshine, and a fantastic fish and chip dinner from the campground's on-site takeaways. It is great to be able to eat in (some) peace while the children hurtle around the playground adjacent to the large central camp kitchen and dining area. It is also great to stay somewhere where the kids can be Kiwi kids — roaming around with a posse of other young 'uns in a safe environment.

Our cute new en suite unit has a bunkroom for the kids, a toilet and shower, and a kitchenette and dining area in the main room, where we also sleep. With barbecue outside on the sunny deck, we have everything we need — who wants to cook a full meal when they're away on holiday anyway?

Having been too excited to go to sleep in a bunk for the first time, Florian is then too excited to stay asleep in the morning, so we are all up rather early, and as soon as we are fed and dressed it's off to the beach armed with our spades. We hire a decent-sized metal-handled spade from the camp shop for $5 to add a bit of muscle to our plastic digging implements.

My expectations are reasonably low — I imagine maybe 10 or so people digging a shallow scrape in the sand, into which the odd trickle of hot water might dribble. Boy, am I wrong. By the time we get down to the magic spot by the rocks, there are more than 50 people already constructing a serious network of interlocking pools, all filled with delightfully warm water. Young and old work shoulder to shoulder to create a pop-up hot pools complex.

We find an "undeveloped" spot to create our own pool, and Florian is right into it. We soon discover that the water is hottest where it first springs up out of the sand — actually too hot to stand in — so the key is to build a little further downstream, and redirect hot water into our own piece of paradise to adjust the temperature.

We've made ourselves a reasonable hole when an enterprising young man arrives armed with a serious spade and some planks of wood, and proceeds to create a massive all-comers pool on the edge of the tideline. I have been hesitant about getting in myself — it is a bit grey and windy — but it just looks like so much fun. I strip down to my togs and join Florian lying in the shallow, sandy, but perfectly toasty water.

It's a special experience, being able to bathe in thermal water right on the edge of the sea, on a beautiful sandy beach, with nearly a hundred strangers.

My husband and 2-year-old retreat to the cafe at the end of the beach to warm up, and eventually a light shower of rain persuades Florian and me to do the same.

I'm so glad there's still a campground at Hot Water Beach, and that future generations of Kiwis will have the chance to enjoy this truly rare experience, completely free, twice a day.

Who knew digging a hole could be so much fun?

Sarah and family were guests of Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park.