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Dayout on the Coromandel Peninsula

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Dayout on the Coromandel Peninsula . In 1852 the discovery of gold at Coromandel brought diggers to the area. DAYOUT ON THE COROMANDEL The Thames rush began in 1867 and later finds were made elsewhere PENINSULA on the peninsula, notably at Waihi where there is a mine working today. You can take tours of the Waihi Mine, learn about mining history at the Beautiful beaches and splendid scenery make the Coromandel Thames School of Mines Museum and Coromandel School of Mines Peninsula one of New Zealand’s most frequented holiday Museum, and follow old goldmine trails. destinations. Swimming, surfing, diving, boating, kayaking and fishing are popular aquatic activities. For a change of scenery, BEACHES you can take one of the many walks in the area or do some serious Beaches and coastline are the great attraction of Coromandel overnight tramping. For the less energetic, there are plenty of Peninsula. The East Coast has the best beaches with lovely white sand craft shops and places of historical interest to visit. and sheltered bays. Our favourite is Hahei Beach in Mercury Bay. It’s Rugged, forested hills forming the backbone of the peninsula, very popular and has lots of visitors in summer. The beaches north of and an indented coastline mean winding roads. On the east coast, Coromandel are less frequented because access to them is generally on where the scenery is more spectacular, the road is often hilly and winding gravel roads. used by logging trucks. Allow plenty of time if you’re driving. Waihi Beach HERITAGE About 2000 people live permanently at Waihi Beach, 11 km from Maori Settlement the historic mining town of Waihi. You can see a Maori pa site at the southern end of the beach; at the north end, you can walk along the Seas and forests provided abundant food for Maori who have coast to Orokawa Bay. lived on this peninsula for centuries. Archaeologists have found evidence of early moa hunters, and several pa sites are identified for visitors. Whangamata A 4 km beach, safe for swimming and popular with surfers. The Captain James Cook harbours north and south of the beach are centres for big game fishing. Mercury Bay and Cooks Beach were named when Cook anchored in the bay in 1769 to observe the transit of the planet Mercury. Opoutere Cook’s discoveries brought other Europeans to New Zealand. In 1820, A lovely white sand beach, a favourite with swimmers and surfers and a visit by HMS Coromandel to collect kauri timber, gave the town and those who prefer an undeveloped area. the area its name. Pauanui Timber and Gold Best-known for its rather grand holiday houses built beside canals. The timber industry played an important part in early European If you’re interested in looking at New Zealand’s first canal housing history. Logging of the great kauri forests, mainly for ship development, it’s worth the detour from the main highway; the beach building, lasted almost a century. Forestry is still an important is quite attractive, but there are many others equally attractive closer to industry, but the trees are exotics; native forests are protected in the highway. reserves. 1 Tairua Whitianga Situated on the same harbour as Pauanui, Tairua offers swimming Buffalo Beach lacks the beauty of many Coromandel Peninsula at the beach or in the river. An older settlement, it provides a ferry beaches, but is okay for a swim. If you stay at Whitianga, there are service across the harbour to the more up-market Pauanui. lovely beaches close by. A ferry takes you across to Flaxmill Bay and there’s a shuttle bus sevice from the ferry to Cooks, Hahei and Hot Hot Water Beach Water Beaches. Not safe for swimming, but for novelty value well worth a visit Whitianga itself is known more for its deep sea fishing. two hours either side of low tide. The well-equipped take their spade to dig a hole in the sand. Hot springs well up to fill these Beaches between Whitianga and Coromandel personal spa pools. All you have to do is recline and make sure no The township of Matarangi has an attractive, safe beach. For pretty, part of your anatomy is over one of the very hot vents. Spadeless? more intimate beaches, try Opito Bay, Otama or Kuaotunu. A side road You can take over someone else’s nest when the heat gets too takes you to Whangapoua from where you can take a 20 minute walk to much for them. the beautiful New Chums Beach. Hahei Beaches North of Coromandel A delightful small beach with a pa site at the southern end and There’s a greater chance of getting away from it all when you venture the start of the track to Cathedral Cove at the other. The camping onto the winding gravel roads in the north of Coromandel Peninsula. ground is alongside the beach. DOC provides basic camping sites at Fletcher Bay, Stony Bay and Waikawau Bay. In the north, walking tracks and opportunities for scuba Cooks Beach diving attract the more energetic, intrepid holidaymakers. Another popular, safe beach in Mercury Bay. The Purangi River at one end adds extra interest and picnic spots. Cathedral Cove Part of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve. It’s a beautiful, little beach with a ‘cathedral’ arch in the rocky headland. Allow a morning or afternoon to walk there, have a swim and watch the commercial kayak guides bringing their clients through the waves onto the beach. If you start from the northern end of Hahei Beach, the walk takes about 30 minutes longer than from the carpark (signposted in Hahei). Flaxmill Bay Near the entrance to the Whitianga Harbour. You can swim here, but only when the tide is in. 2.
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