Some attractions in NZ are dependent on low tide, so are the Cathedral Coves. At high tide there would be no way to enter but by boat – waste no thought on that, the whole site is private land and there are guards at the parking lot which open the gate for the car access just two hours before to two hours after low tide, dry entry guaranteed just at the lowest part of low tide (seriously, who needs dry feet). We were late :) Just one hour to run down the cliff walkway, see the caves and come back up to leave the carpark before closing gate. The 5 min run was not the problem, the phantastic caves were. Breathtaking! Spent too much time getting wet in awe and when everybody was leaving in a hurry, we still had to collect the soaked kids and bring them to march back up (and they did, without stopping! That’s the spirit!). At least in our car we’re always carrying every piece of our wardrobe with us, so a quick change made us fit for a drive back to Invercargill.
