Coromandel Peninsula (North Island, New Zealand)

Coromandel Peninsula Reviews

Coromandel Peninsula Photos

Coromandel Peninsula Information

Overview

Things to do

Country Info (New Zealand)

Slideshow of Photos

The Coromandel Peninsula lies on the N coast of North Island, New Zealand, situated in close proximity to one of New Zealand's most populated cities, Auckland. The Coromandel Peninsula is a popular weekend getaway for many Aucklanders. This peninsula at the eastern end of the Hauraki Gulf is home to dense forest that is perfect for hiking; horse riding and mountain biking while the coastal areas have beautiful secluded beaches including the unique Hot Water Beach.

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Thames - Thames is one of the more accessible places on the peninsula. Although it's now a sleepy little town, during the 1870s, this former gold mining town was the biggest city in the country. Thames doesn't have a load of attractions, although the Grahamstown area at the northern end of the city centre has several historic buildings dating from the gold rush and there are a couple of museums that focus on the town's gold mining history. If you're heading up the peninsula, buy some groceries, fill the car up with petrol and use the ATM, as facilities aren't so good further north. Sights are plentiful in Thames with attractions such as New Zealands only butterfly house (butterfly & orchid garden) home to around 400 butterflies as well as birds and up to 200 orchids, the Thames Gold mine + Stamper battery and the Thames histroical museum just to name a few.

Coromandel Town - This old gold mining town is a small peaceful place overlooking sparkling blue water of the Coromandel Harbour. It doesn't offer a lot to see or do, but it's a pleasant spot to relax for a couple of days. Attractions include the Coromandel Gold Stamper Battery, Driving Creek Railway and Waiau Waterworks.

Whitianga - Like other resort towns on the Coromandel Peninsula, Whitianga is a popular weekend destination and during the summer holidays the town is crowded with people from Auckland who bring their boats and spend their time fishing or just lazing by the beach. Most notable attractions include boat trips to Cathedral Cove, High Zone and the Mercury Bay Museum.

Hahei - This tiny town makes a convenient base for travellers visiting Hot Water Beach and the Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve.

Hot Water Beach - This unique beach, 10km south of Hahei, is one of the more popular spots on the Coromandel Peninsula. The main attraction is the thermal pools that you can dig in the sand two hours either side of low tide. The water in the pools can get to around 65°C. During summer up to 1500 people may dig pools in the sand. If you don't have a shovel most hostels in Hahei, Tairua and Whitianga should be able to lend you one or you can rent one from the kiosk at the beach. Conditions aren't always favourable and the hot water doesn't appear around 30% of the time, particularly in winter.

Tairua - Some travellers use this quiet seaside town as a base for visiting Hot Water Beach, which is only a 20-minute drive away. Tairua has a surf beach and there are a couple of good hiking trails in the nearby Broken Hills Recreation Area.

Opoutere - Located between Tairua and Whangamata, this quiet spot has a lagoon and 5km of beach and it is a popular place for birdwatchers.

Whangamata - On the east coast of the Coromandel, Whangamata is one of New Zealand's top surf spots. It is overrun by surfers during the summer holidays in January, but it's much quieter at other times of the year.

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Population: 4.035.500
Languages: English, Maori (both official)
Currency: New Zealand dollar
Currency code: NZD
Local Times:
New Zealand - Auckland

New Zealand - Chatham Island

New Zealand - Wellington

Country Dialling Code: +64
Voltage: 240V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
Flat prongs, inverted 'V' positioned with earth connector

Flat prongs, inverted 'V' positioned with earth connector

It's been Middle Earth and Narnia in the movies but New Zealand's beautiful landscapes are no fantasy.

With a varied and dramatic landscape, a long and significant cultural heritage, and some of the world's rarest and most fascinating plant and animal species, New Zealand is an ideal adventure travel destination. Take a trip here and discover why New Zealand has it all - from flightless birds to breaching whales and breathtaking fjords to erupting geysers.

New Zealand comes with a reputation as a unique land packed with magnificent, raw scenery : craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches, primeval forests, snow-capped alpine mountains, bubbling volcanic pools, fast-flowing rivers and glacier-fed lakes, all beneath a brilliant blue sky. The far north is a subtropical haven of unspoilt beaches, citrus fruits and hibiscus flowers, while volcanic mud pools and geysers feature in the central part of North Island. The South Island boasts whale watching, ice glaciers and rugged snow-covered Alps. And yes, there are many wide-open spaces.

What's more, everything is easily accessible, packed into a land area little larger than Britain and with a population of just 3.8 million, over half of it tucked away in the three largest cities : Auckland, the capital Wellington, and the South Island's Christchurch. Elsewhere, you can travel miles through steep-hilled farmland and rarely see a soul, and there are even remote spots which, it's reliably contended, no human has ever visited.

Geologically, New Zealand split off from the super-continent of Gondwanaland early, developing a unique ecosystem in which birds adapted to fill the role normally held by mammals, many becoming flightless through lack of predators.

Only in the last couple of decades has New Zealand come of age and developed a true national self-confidence, something partly forced on it by Britain severing the colonial apron strings in the early 1970s, and partly by the resurgence of Maori identity. Maori demands have been nurtured by a willingness on the part of most pakeha to redress the wrongs perpetrated over the last century and a half, as long as it doesn't impinge on their high standard of living or overall feeling of control. More recently, integration has been replaced with a policy of promoting two cultures alongside each other, but with maximum interaction. In this way New Zealand is set to forge through the new century with considerable dignity and a good deal of uncertainty.

The British represent the second largest group of visitors to New Zealand - after neighbouring Australia. But at 12,000 miles away from the UK it's a once-in-a-lifetime destination for many and takes a bit of planning.

Most British travellers either tack New Zealand on to the end of an Australian holiday and regret not having enough time, or take two or three weeks and race around like mad to see the whole country. While New Zealand is small enough to 'do' in that time, a more enjoyable option is to spend longer at just a few places - and then you have an excuse to go back!