Sandra said... The actual trip to Coromandel was fantastic as was our guide Mac. The journey was broken up with a couple of stops on the way to hot water beach, be aware that the 'hot water' section gets very busy and you will need a spade to dig a hole (available to rent @$10).
Next to cathedral cove. I had read that there is a ferry ($20 each way) you and catch if you don't want to do 30 min hike with 150 steps by the beach, however the ferry wasn't running on my visit as the sea was a bit choppy. Instead I opted for a cathedral cove boat tour (extra cost)which was awesome. Skidding along the top of the water but stopping often for photos our guide/driver was very knowledgeable about where we were and why the rocks & caves got their names. He finished the 16km boat ride with the blow hole (only able to access at high tide so not available on all trips) which was absolutely astounding. There is a long walk on the beach to access the rib for the boat trip.
Back to the small coach (21 on our trip not the maximum advised on bookme) for the journey back to Auckland. Well worth the time.