The onset of weather systems packing heavy rain has prompted DOC to close tracks to Coromandel's Mautohe Cathedral Cove and urge visitors not to go to the famous beach.
MetService has issued an Orange Heavy Rain Warning for Coromandel in response to two weather systems currently bearing down on New Zealand – one of which will move in over Coromandel and other parts of the North Island tonight.
That weather system, swooping down from the Pacific Ocean from the northeast, is expected to dump up to 180 mm of rain on the peninsula from Tuesday 18 November. The MetService's rain warning is in place until 3:00 pm on Wednesday 19 November.
DOC Coromandel Operations Manager Nick Kelly says it's prudent to close tracks to Mautohe Cathedral Cove given the weather system's expected impact.
"DOC's priority for this site continues to be the safety of visitors and managing visitor risk. Poor weather, particularly heavy rain, exacerbates the landslide and rockfall risks at Mautohe Cathedral Cove.
"We strongly discourage people from visiting the cove while this weather system moves – the conditions make it unsafe.
"We do not want people getting hurt. With the wet weather coming in, this is not the time to go naturing on the track to Mautohe Cathedral Cove."
Nick says the Mautohe Cathedral Cove closure will come into effect from 6pm on Tuesday 18 November and be in place until further notice. Decisions about whether it is safe to reopen tracks to the beach will be made once staff undertake site inspections and weather forecasts are assessed.
Sea swells are expected to increase with the weather system and anyone planning to visit Mautohe Cathedral Cove by boat should check sea conditions first and consider the risks.
Mautohe Cathedral Cove is one of Coromandel and New Zealand's most picturesque and iconic coastal locations, famous for its rock arch. However, land around the cove is known to be potentially unstable with a noted geological and landslide risk after heavy rain events.
DOC's Trigger Action Response Plan for Mautohe Cathedral Cove guides decision-making for track closures at the site.
Tracks to Mautohe Cathedral Cove were closed in February 2023 due to extensive damage caused by Cyclone Garbrielle. DOC repaired the tracks through the second half of 2024, and they reopened to visitors in December 2024.
