Spearfishing the Coromandel
The Coromandel splits cleanly: silty Firth of Thames water on the west, clear Mercury Bay and Pacific reef on the east. Coromandel town, Whitianga, Tairua and Whangamata.
West-side marks around Coromandel town - Long Bay, Amodeo Bay, Oamaru Bay, Koputauaki - are inner Hauraki water, 2-8 m over sand, mud and rock points, with 2-4 m of visibility and a habit of clouding on the ebb. Cross the range and it changes: Shakespeare Cliff and Wharekaho at Whitianga, Opito Point and Hot Water Beach, Sailors Grave and Paku at Tairua, Onemana and Whiritoa at Whangamata - rock ribs on sand and kelp headlands in 3-12 m with snapper, kingfish, butterfish, boarfish and crayfish. New Chums/Wainuiototo is the wild one, bush to the waterline.
Summer into autumn is the season, on East Auckland Current water. The east-coast marks read a bad sector with east and north-east in it, so an easterly swell shuts them and the harbours (Flaxmill Bay, Whangamata's inner corners) or the Firth side become the swap. Visibility on the east side is genuinely good in a settled spell; on the west it rarely is.
Rules: no licence. The Coromandel is in the MPI Auckland and Kermadec area - 20 finfish combined per day, snapper 7/day at 30 cm, kina 150 in FMA 1 - but note the 'Auckland Coromandel area' shellfish column is much lower than the rest of the region. Scallops in SCA CS (Coromandel) have been closed since March 2023. Crayfish may never be speared. Te Whanganui-o-Hei / Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve is no-take; Te Pare Point at the south end of Hahei is outside it. Read https://www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/fishing-rules and https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/marine-reserves/. Safety, conditionally: hard tidal flow through the Tairua and Whitianga narrows, boat traffic in Mercury Bay, and offshore stacks like Maukaha Rocks that are a paddle rather than a swim.
Top spots
| Spot | Nearest city | Character |
|---|---|---|
| New Chums / Wainuiototo Bay | Coromandel | Wild white-sand bay with reef points and bush to the waterline, 3–10 m. |
| Shakespeare Cliff | Whitianga | Rock cliff at the entrance to Mercury Bay with depth close to the… |
| Tararu Rocks | Thames | Shore rocks at Tararu, about 3 km north of Thames. |
| Paku / Royal Billy Point | Tairua | Rock point at the throat of the Tairua estuary, boulders and weed,… |
| Te Karaka Point (Whangamatā) | Whangamatā | Rock point on a sandy beach with the reef running out into sand, 3–9 m. |
| Tokaroa Point | Tairua | Rock point east of Pāuanui where depth builds faster than along the… |
Reserves & no-take zones
- Te Whanganui-o-Hei / Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve — No-take / spearfishing banned: Spearfishing banned in this protected marine zone.
Cities in this region
FAQ
Is Cathedral Cove open to spearfishing?
No. Te Whanganui-o-Hei / Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve is no-take and spearfishing is banned. Te Pare Point at the south end of Hahei sits outside the reserve and is open - check the DOC boundary.
Which side of the Coromandel should you dive?
The east. Mercury Bay and the Pacific coast at Whitianga, Tairua and Whangamata give 3-12 m of rock and kelp with real visibility; the Firth of Thames side around Coromandel town is inner-gulf water at 2-4 m and clouds on the ebb.
Can you take scallops?
No. SCA CS, the Coromandel scallop fishery, has been closed since March 2023, so there is no open recreational scallop fishery here despite the printed season and limits.
What are the finfish limits?
MPI Auckland and Kermadec: 20 finfish combined per fisher per day, snapper 7/day at 30 cm minimum. Kina is 150 in FMA 1, but the Auckland-Coromandel shellfish column is lower than the rest of the region - check the current table.
See also: Auckland & Hauraki Gulf · Bay of Plenty