Summer Shuttle Service from Mercury Bay to Hahei starts this week.

There's expected to be more seats on this year's Summer Shuttle bus service so people can travel between Whitianga and Hahei without the hassle of driving and parking.

Thames Coromandel District Council. Photo: Google Earth.

Thames-Coromandel District Council has teamed up with Waikato Regional Council to provide the shuttle service, which will operate from December 27 to January 26. The shuttle will continue during the Waitangi Day long weekend on February 6-8.

Regional council's public transport operations manager Ben Barlow says the decision to introduce a bigger, air conditioned vehicle follows a survey of passengers using the shuttle last year to travel between Hot Water Beach, Hahei, Cooks Beach and Ferry Landing.

'About 3000 people travelled on the bus during the month it operated, with 83 per cent of the passengers crossing from Whitianga and using the shuttle to go to the beaches from Cooks Beach to Hahei. 'Hot Water and Hahei beaches were the most popular with people, with 84 per cent of them New Zealanders visiting the Coromandel.”

Mercury Bay Community Board chairperson Paul Kelly says they're pleased to be working with the regional council to provide the shuttle this year.

'We realise we need to look at how we manage the growing number of visitors within this area and that traffic and parking need managing.

'The service helps to ease traffic congestion and parking hassles for Cathedral Cove visitors, as well as improving the safety for pedestrians and other road users.”

The Summer Shuttle Service will operate three times an hour between 10am and 6pm. One way Summer Shuttle bus fares and return park and ride shuttle fares cost $3 for adults, $2 for children and $7 for families up to two adults and two children.

For more information on Summer Bus Shuttle Services, click here. The disctrict council is also employing Parking Ambassadors to remind people not to park on Grange Rd when they're visiting Cathedral Cove or Hahei Beach.

The Parking Ambassadors will be issuing leaflets about parking restrictions and working with DOC and our Council compliance staff on Grange Rd.

Traffic cones and signage will also be alerting motorists to the fact that there's no parking on this road.

'We have found in previous years that motorists were illegally parking their cars on double yellow lines along Grange Rd,” says Paul.

'With increasing visitor numbers coming to this area we need to better manage traffic and parking.”

Meanwhile a Park and Ride service is also available at Pa Rd, Hahei. This allows people to park their car and then ride a bus up to Grange Rd to start the walk to Cathedral Cove.

The Park and Ride remained extremely popular last summer too, carrying about 20,000 people up the hill from Hahei to the start of the Cathedral Cove walking track.