Cathedral Cove trip from Coromandel or Whitianga

Hi,

Is it possible and advisable to visit Cathedral Cove from Coromandel or Whitianga by public transport? i.e. not by tour, and not self-drive too. I'm planning to go there some time towards the end of this year, but I won't be driving.
If public transport isn't advisable, do you have any recommendations on affordable, good local tour companies that run Cathedral Cove trip?

Oh and one more thing - NakedBus vs Intercity. I've heard (and read) about NakedBus' not-so-great performance but I'm wondering if it has improved over the years? Or is Intercity still superior to NakedBus?

Thank you!

Intercity and NakedBus are as bad as each other. Just take the one that has the best price or the best time.
The buses will get you to Coromandel. The Coromandel township is a good hour drive from Cathedral Cove. I doubt you will get public transport to Cathedral Cove or Hot Water beach. Best to hire a car or jump on a tour.

from coromandel township
http://www.coromandeladventures.co.nz

from Whitianga
http://www.cathedralcoveshuttles.co.nz/

no regular public bus service around the peninsular as it is too thinly populated. There is a daily bus service to and from Hamilton.

another easyish option from Whitianga, depending on weather, is to thumb a ride

Thank you for your replies.

Between Coromandel township and Whitianga (and also Hamilton), which one is better for stay? I may want to go around the town itself on top of having one of them as a base to go to Cathedral Cove.
Also, transportation issue aside, do you think joining a tour better to enjoy Cathedral Cove and Hot water beach (apart of having more people in the group) as compared to going there alone?

Thanks again.

check out both towns online and decide what you ant. coromandel a bit rougher and rural. if the shuttle time tables work for you I am unsure if a tour offers any advantage.

Have used Naked Bus more times than Intercity and don't know what the problem is performance-wise. This was also before and after Mana Bus bought them out.

Regarding Intercity and NakedBus,
if we book a journey which involves change of bus (e.g. stopping at a stop to board another bus with another route to reach the end destination) and the first bus is delayed causing us missing the connection, will the bus company compensate us for it (e.g. booking us into the next bus)? Is such delays happening often?

Thanks for all the advice!

Just read the terms and conditions. They may be like point to point airlines where it is your responsibility to leave enough time between connections if sectors booked seperarely.
You may find the connection point is part of a longer stop at any rate.
Have used Naked Bus a few times North Island and never had a delay. Of course, sometimes delays are beyond snyones control.

Alright, thank you everyone for the information!

In many parts of NZ there is only one bus per day so timetables are carefully aligned to enable transfers e.g. at Tarras for services to Wanaka or Thames for services to Whitianga. If you have one through ticket the drivers will be in touch by radio and will try to maintain connections.

thank you for the information. yes I was worried about the connections if I get through tickets from the bus companies, as most of the routes that I've planned involve transfers. hopefully there won't be any problems with maintaining connections. thanks again!

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