The Coromandel Peninsula / Te Tara-o-te-ika-a-Māui offers pristine beaches, a rugged ancient volcanic interior with native forest, and a laid-back, sometimes alternative lifestyle vibe. The peninsula stretches 85 km north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty and is up to 40 km wide. It is a barrier between the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames, hence Auckland, to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The Coromandel Range, with a high point at Table Mountain of 846 metres, runs from Karangahake Gorge towards the tip. The Moehau Range at the northern tip has the highest point at nearly 896 metres. Beyond the north tip, Aotea Great Barrier Island is the most northerly part of the 18 million-year-old Coromandel Volcanic Zone.
The Māori name, Te Tara-o-te-ika-a-Māui, means “the barb of Maui’s fish” and refers to the demigod Māui’s use of a hook to catch a great fish, pulling the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) from the sea. The Coromandel is the fish's spine. The English name comes from the ship HMS Coromandel, which stopped at Coromandel Harbour in 1820 to collect kauri spars. “Coromandel” is a Portuguese transliteration of Cholamandalam, the name for a coastal region in India. HMS Coromandel also points to early European history, which focused on logging the enormous kauri forest and gold mining. As extraction industries petered out, a strong conservation movement took hold. DOC took over much of the rugged interior, creating Coromandel Forest Park with mostly regenerating forest.
Today, the peninsula is one of the richest regions in Aotearoa for visitors. The open Pacific Ocean to the east offers numerous white to golden sand surf beaches, plus sheltered harbours at Tairua, Mercury Bay / Whitianga and Whangapoua. The Firth of Thames to the west offers sheltered beach options for swimming, boating, and fishing. Between the two coasts lies Coromandel Forest Park. The park's rugged hills and valleys offer numerous hiking and camping options. Many of the tracks follow historic mining and kauri logging routes. Check out Broken Hills near Hokusai and the Kauaeranga Valley near Thames. There are several DOC campsites and access to the fantastic Pinnacles Track and Hut.
Most people live in coastal towns, serviced by highly scenic State Highway 25. The highway starts at Waihi, near Waihi Beach. It runs up the east side of the peninsula through Whangamata to Hikuai, Tairua, and Whitianga and then crosses to the west coast between Whangapoua Harbour and Coromandel Town. From there, it heads south, often hugging the coast, to Thames. At Kopu, it connects with State Highway 2 towards Auckland and State Highway 26, which continues south to Paeroa and west to Hamilton. There are also three cross-peninsula connections. The incredibly scenic State Highway 25A goes from Kopu over a pass in the Coromandel Range at 424 metres and connects with SH25 near Hikuai. Two rough gravel roads wind across the peninsula: the Tapu Coroglen Road and The 309 Road. These provide access to the rugged interior, much of which is regenerating forest.
You can also drive further north than State Highway 25. A mostly gravel road up the west coast gets as far as Port Jackson, Cape Colville and Fletcher Bay at the peninsula's tip. You can get as far as the Stony Bay campsite on the east side, then hike or bike the Coromandel Walkway to Fletcher Bay.
Numerous medium to small east coast towns are located at beautiful beaches, connected to State Highway 25 by short roads. These include Waihi Beach at the south end of the peninsula, Whiritoa, Onemana, Opoutere, Pauanui, Hot Water Beach, Hahei, Cooks Beach, Kūaotunu, Opito, Matarangi and Whangapoua. The main towns on the west coast are the old historical mining towns of Thames (the largest and most accessible town on the Coromandel) at the southwest end of the Firth of Thames, and Coromandel Town, two-thirds of the way up the coast. The east coast towns are especially seasonal due to the prevalence of holiday homes. In recent years, dolphins, southern right whales, Bryde's, and humpback whales have reappeared along the east coasts as their populations recover.
There are also many fabulous short walks. These include Orokawa and Homunga north of Waihi Beach, Mt Pauanui near Pauanui, Sailors Grave and Te Pare near Tairua, Cathedral Cove and Hereheretaura Point near Hahei, Shakespeare Cliff and Lonely Bay near Cooks Beach, and New Chums Beach near Whangapoua. From The 309 Road is the Waiau Falls and the nearby Waiau Kauri Walk to a grove of surviving ancient kauri trees.
