Important Notice: Walkway access is presently closed due to severe track damage. It is still possible to access Cathedral Cove by boat. Boat tours and kayak hires can be arranged in Hahei. See here for options.
The sealed Cathedral Cove Walkway begins at the top of Grange Road at the north end of Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula. You can no longer park anywhere on Grange Road, so you must get a bus from the bottom of the hill, walk up the road, or take a connecting track from the north end of the beach.
It takes about 40 minutes to walk to Cathedral Cove from the top, which has a couple of quite steep ups and downs. Along the way, there are two other small bays to visit, Gemstone and Stingray, and a short side track to a mature grove of puriri trees. All are worth exploring.
Also note that there is an access track about ¾ of the way along the main track from a parking area on Lees Road, with a turnoff just before Hahei. It is less interesting than the walkway and takes just as long, but you can park there.
