At the gateway to Coromandel’s monumental Cathedral Cove, you’ll find a collection of unique stays at ‘The Church - Hahei’. The Accommodation site is located on the edge of Hahei Village, a short walk to the beachfront and tucked in amongst established native trees and lush gardens. This is a part of our country that I’ve visited many times and I always treasure an opportunity for a little Coro’ getaway with the family.
As you pull into the driveway of the 1.5 acre property, The Church Bistro greets you and sets the tone, with architectural features reflected throughout the site. Cottages and Garden Studios are adorned with peaked archways and leadlight windows. Inside the cottages, vaulted ceilings feature reclaimed wooden beams from the original colonial church building.
It all started in 1997 when the first owners of The Church Accommodation, purchased a disused (early 1900s) church building and hauled it by truck in pieces from its Central North Island origin to the Coromandel settlement. They reconstructed the building onsite to create a restaurant, then added a number of boutique cottages to set up this unique stay.
Current owners Andreas and Anna took on the project in 2014. Since then they have added their touch to the accommodation site, further developing the gardens into a tranquil haven. Each dwelling is nestled into the greenery, where a mix of native and subtropical plants thrive under their green thumb care. Anna’s mum Maxine also lends her gardening knowledge and experience helping them with landscaping.
Anna grew up in Hahei and has known the original owners since she was young. When she and Andreas took over The Church Accommodation 9 years ago, they had been commuting between Auckland and Hahei, having established a small native plant nursery on Anna’s parents’ Hahei property. Taking over The Church was a great opportunity to (re)settle properly into Coromandel life.
My family of four stayed in one of the self contained cottages, which is perfectly set up for a group of our size. With the main entrance and covered deck facing an enclosed garden, you get a sense of a private little getaway here. The 40m2 interior feels generous. With a queen bedroom, full size bathroom and an open plan living and kitchen area, there’s room to breathe. Two divan beds in the living area double as couches by day and proved cosy for the kids by night.
Though the cottages are just a couple of decades old, there’s a sense of history and permanence to them. It feels homely and almost nostalgic staying here. With a wood burning fire in the living area, we settled into the evening with a flickering flame as the centrepiece. A perfect way to complete the cottage ambience.
There are a myriad of beaches, bays and walkways close by but the experience not to be missed is the walk to Cathedral Cove. There is a carpark closer to the start of the track but we just walked straight from The Church, along the Hahei beachfront and onto the clifftop route, which was a beautiful little extension to the official walkway and took just over an hour at a leisurely pace to arrive at the iconic destination. Though the cove can attract masses of visitors, we mostly had the beach to ourselves on the day we ventured out. How spoilt are we?! I am constantly amazed at the natural beauty of our country. Aotearoa, I love you.
We loved our stay at the The Church… Anna and Andreas are very knowledgeable about the area and great for a chat… For more info, or to book accommodation, head to thechurchhahei.co.nz
The Church Bistro (open seasonally) is owned and managed separately to the accommodation. You can find out more at thechurchbistro.co.nz
For more info on Cathedral Cove and the walkway, go to Dept of Conservation