Places to Explore

• Around Hahei

  The beaches, coves, and seaside villages around Hahei make for a great day of exploring—or lounging. If you're craving a true beach vacation, consider basing yourself in Hahei rather than in Whitianga... (more)

• Colville and Beyond

  To reach land's end in the wilds of the Coromandel Peninsula—with rugged coastline, delightful coves, and pastures—take the 30-minute drive from Coromandel up to Colville. The town has a grocery... (more)

• Coromandel

  Coromandel town became the site of New Zealand's first gold strike in 1852 when sawmill worker Charles Ring found gold-bearing quartz at Driving Creek, just north of town. The find was important for New... (more)

• Katikati

  Katikati was built on land confiscated from local Maori after the 1863 land wars and given to Irish Protestant settlers by the Central Government. But before being settled in the 1870s, Maori had long... (more)

• Tairua

  A town that you'll actually notice when you pass through it, Tairua is one of the larger communities along the coast. Because State Highway 25 is the town's main road, it's convenient for a bite en route... (more)

• Tapu-Coroglen Road

• Tauranga

  The population center of the Bay of Plenty, Tauranga is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing cities. Along with its neighbor, Whakatane, this seaside city claims to be one of the country's sunniest towns... (more)

• Thames

  The peninsula's oldest town, Thames has evolved from a gold-mining hotbed in the 1920s to an agricultural center. Locals have a saying that when the gold ran out, "Thames went to sleep awaiting the kiss... (more)

• Whakatane

  For yet another chance to laze on the beach, Whakatane (fah-kah-tah-nee) claims to be the North Island's sunniest town. This was landfall on New Zealand for the first migratory Maori canoes, and the fertile... (more)

• Whangamata

  The Coromandel Ranges back Whangamata (fahng-a-ma-ta), another harborside village. This was once a town of modest houses and a population of 4,000, but it's been discovered by people wanting a holiday... (more)

• Whitianga

  As you descend from the hills on the Coromandel's east coast, you'll come to the long stretch of Buffalo Beach, named for the British ship that used to ferry convicts from the United Kingdom to Australia... (more)