The Peninsula
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The. Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel East Coast The eastern coast is rimmed by numerous idyllic white-sand On a clear day the Coromandel Peninsula’s ranges can be seen beaches, perfect for swimming, diving, surfing and fishing. You from Auckland, a dark and mysterious looking mass on the eastern can still be lucky and find a beach almost untouched and walk horizon. Edging the Pacific Ocean, the peninsula is renowned for its length in perfect solitude, making the only footprints. The its golden sand beaches and an interior of mountains and dense popular beaches are a magnet all year for surfers catching the forest. waves, walkers exercising and families with children playing. Two hours’ drive from downtown Auckland, across the Hauraki Beyond the shores, boats set out for days of fishing, diving and plains, brings you to this recreational paradise that has long been pleasure cruising. a favourite with New Zealanders. Beach-side towns offer pleasant accommodation choices and a relaxed seaside lifestyle. Don’t miss Coromandel town for its History sea food and cafes, Hot Water Beach for the natural hot pools Te Whitianga-a–Kupe, now just called Whitianga, was named for amongst the sand or Whitianga for its galleries and restaurants. Kupe, who, according to Maori legend, crossed the harbour here. Popular golf courses are at Pauanui and Matarangi with upmarket On the Pacific Ocean, Hahei’s sandy beach is named after one of resorts nearby. For the traveller who loves to get off the beaten the most prominent Maori chieftains. The historic pa site of his track, you can catch the sunrise at the numerous white sand village is a reserve above the southern end of the beach. beaches on remote and unpopulated bays or explore the hills and forests on a day walk, or kayak down the rivers. English places names also link closely with early New Zealand history. Cooks Beach was named for the explorer and navigator, Kauri Captain James Cook, who sailed here in 1769 aboard HMS Endeavour. Close by is where Cook observed the transit of the Visitors can add a special memento of their visit. The Coromandel planet Mercury across the sun on 9 November 1769. Peninsula was once completely covered in the magnificent native New Zealand kauri tree, called the giant of the forest. Most were In the 1800s, gold was found on the peninsula. Then, the towns of cut down in the 1800s to build homes and for sailing ships. Now Thames, Coromandel and Waihi were bustling with prospectors. every year a planting of kauri takes place to replace this ancient Supporting industries thrived. Today, museums and surviving forest. Anyone can purchase a young kauri for a small sum and it architecture hint of the wild colonial nature of those times. will be planted at the right time and carefully nurtured so that one day the hills and valleys of the Coromandel will be graced again The West Coast by these stately trees. The western coast of the peninsula is mainly rocky coves dotted with pohutukawa trees for the stretch of road linking these historic gold-mining towns of Thames to Coromandel. Beyond Coromandel and its new-found café culture, the settlements are few and the Moehau ranges soar into the clouds. Walks into the Coromandel Forest Park offer fantastic lookouts over the ocean and islands of the Hauraki Gulf, as well as remnants of ancient forest. 1.