Coromandel Discovery

The Peninsula is a great place if you're interested in arts and crafts, action and sports, lazy days, or tramping, so it appeals to a wide range of people. Mercury Bay is an area with miles of peaceful, beautiful beaches, where you can have a go at deep sea fishing and diving near and around the Mercury Islands, or just simply lay back and watch the world float by.

Whitianga has a cool and lively arts and crafts vibe, and you can have a lesson in bone carving, if that takes your fancy, and there are also plenty of cafes offering local cuisine.

Thames is the peninsula's largest town, with a colorful gold mining history.

Hahei is a good base, with a really good campsite right on the beach, and the walk to Cathedral Cove starts here too. There are plenty of walks over the Coromandel Ranges - the tourist offices will be able to help out with maps and guides. Hotwater Beach is a natural thermal springs area, good for swimming, relaxing, and digging your own hot spring water bath.

Quick Tips:

Be careful on the roads - even though these are the Pacific Coast Highway, some are steep, windy, and narrow, with not a lot of room for overtaking - being patient while stuck behind a caravan or trailer is a must! Also, the roads are often alongside sheer drops over cliffs - don't be too distracted by the breathtaking views - stop at laybys for sightseeing.

Best Way To Get Around:

Car. Definitely. There is a bus service, but it's much easier to have transport of your own, especially if traveling in the summer, as some of the walks are best done early or late in the day. If you're in Hahei, and want to go to Whitianga, there is a ferry service every 15 - 20 minutes from the Ferry Landing just outside Hahei; it saves the very long drive around to it, and only cost NZ per person (you can also take mountain bikes on if you want).

A great area for beach activities. There's only one shop there, but you can get basics - drinks, snacks, etc, so make sure you take most things you need.

The beach is huge, plenty of space if you fancy volleyball, frisbee, sandcastle building...and, of course, digging your own hotpool bath. You need to do this two hours either side of high tide, otherwise you just get no water or cold water (which would you prefer?!). Don't worry about taking spades - for a $5 deposit, you can borrow one from the local shop in the beach car park, and be prepared for some hard digging.

The spot to dig is in front of the cliff face - look for loads of people lying in holes in the sand, that'll give you a good indication!! Once you've dug far enough, hot water will come out from under the sand and fill your bath - be careful, it can be very hot! Once you've made your bath - lie in it! We had great fun altering the size and shape of ours, and raising the sand in some levels to make it more comfy! And, if it gets too hot, you can always cool off in the sea...

We started the coastal walk from Hahei, where we were camping. As with any walking, you need to take supplies - there are absolutely no shops on this walk. The path is steep at times, but varying, so there's plenty of opportunities to catch your breath. The paths are well signposted, and there are a couple of paths leading off the main one, which are well worth taking if you have the time and energy - you can go to Stingray Bay, named that because of the high number of sightings of stingrays, and also a couple of Groves which are nice if you want some shade to cool off in.

Once you get to Cathedral Cove, it's very sheltered, and great to spend a few hours relaxing there - but only if you want to carry everything you need with you! The main attraction is the rock formation - here, the cliff face used to be complete, but because of the regular movement of the tide, a hole has been eroded into the cliff face, which you can walk through. Once you've completed the walk and got back to Hahei, a paddle in the sea does wonders for your feet!!