Coromandel Highlights
Gold might have attracted people to the Coromandel in years gone by, but today it is the allure of its natural environment that draws visitors, tempting them back time after time. The
Department of Conservation operates 15 campsites around the peninsula and a mix of beach house and hut accommodation. Bookings are essential for beach houses and huts, which include:
Watersports:
The Coromandel is a playground for boating and watersports, offering everything from world-class diving and big game fishing to kayaking and jetboating. There are also cruises to the nearby marine reserve at
Hahei and around scenic Mercury Bay.
Natural Highlights:
- The Coromandel Forest Park
Encompassing the heavily forested centre of the peninsula and the Coromandel Range, this park provides a multitude of hikes and walks.
- The Kauaeranga Valley
Visitors can undertake a three-hour walk to the 80-bed Pinnacles Hut and the restored Dancing Camp Dam, the second-largest of the 100 kauri dams built on the Coromandel.
- Thames Coast
A scenic drive along the Pohutukawa Coast accessing beaches, bush-clad hills, the Rapaura Watergardens and bushwalks.
- Wentworth Valley
Located near Whangamata, the valley offers hikes to old mines and a waterfall.
- Karangahake Gorge
An historic walkway which follows a disused railway line. A river-hugging walk takes in bush-clad ranges and old gold mining sites.
- Road 309
The famous 309 road travels from the west to east coast. Sights en route include the two-hour return Castle Rock walk, the easily accessible 309 Kauris and the Waiau Falls.
- Mount Moehau
A full-day walk climbs most of the way to the summit, although the actual summit is sacred to Maori and cannot be scaled.
- Coastal Walkway Tour
A walk around the tip of the Coromandal Peninsula from Fletcher Bay to Stony Bay.
- Pauanui Mountain Walking Track
A steep climb from Pauanui Beach to the 400m Pauanui Mountain, providing panoramic views.
- Mount Paku
A 15-minute walk to the summit of a volcanic peak at the opening of the Tairua Harbour, offering views along the coast and back to Pauanui.
- Tairua Forest
An exotic pine forest providing bushwalks and mountain bike trails.