Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Colenso Country Café and Shop
A cottage café and craft shop are set in a garden full of citrus and olive trees and kitchen herbs. The café serves soups, moreish country-style pies, salads, and an ever-changing variety of cakes, scones, muffins, slices, and Devonshire teas. In the shop you can procure tasty chutneys, jams, organic honey, and giftware. The open grassy space, play area, and tame donkeys make this an especially good place to stop with kids. It's located on State Highway 25 just south of the Hahei turnoff on the way to Tairua.
State Hwy. 25, Whenuakite, Waikato, 3591, New Zealand07-866–3725Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. -
2. Mauao (Mt. Maunganui)
This dormant volcano is the region's visual icon; its rocky cone stands sentinel, 761 feet high at the end of the peninsula that boasts one of New Zealand's best swimming and surfing areas. White-sand beaches with rolling surf stretch for miles away from Mauao. Trails on Mauao include an easy walk around its base and the more strenuous summit climb. To get to Mauao, head toward it along any road running parallel to the beach. The Mount Maunganui area gets crowded around Christmas and New Year's Eve, so consider early or late summer (or even winter) for your visit. Beach walks or exploring Mauao is a delight at any time, and the sidewalk cafés are always open.
New Zealand -
3. Ōhope Beach
The region’s most popular and safest swimming beach is the 11-km (7-mile) laid-back Ōhope, just a 10-minute drive east of Whakatane. Pohutukawa Avenue, Ōhope's main road, runs parallel to the beach, flanked by native pohutukawa trees, private homes, and grazing cows. You can stay in the Top 10 Holiday Park or choose from a range of holiday homes, motels, apartments and B&Bs. There's lots to do here: fishing off the beach, surfing, and walking the Nga Tapuwae o Toi trail are just a few options. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.
Pohutukawa Ave., New Zealand -
4. Driving Creek Railway
The late Barry Brickell's narrow gauge railway, built so the potter could access special clay found at the top of a steep forested slope, has become a major tourist attraction. Trains make several one-hour trips each day, taking in a viaduct, three tunnels, a spiral, and a switchback through native forest, eventually climbing to the Eyefull Tower and viewing platform. The railway also funds a reforestation program and a 1.6-acre fenced wildlife sanctuary. The latest on-site addition is Coromandel Zip Line Tours, a three-hour experience encompassing eight zip lines. Advanced booking is advised; it's essential during peak summer months.
380 Driving Creek Rd., Coromandel, Waikato, 3506, New Zealand07-866–8703Sight Details
Rate Includes: NZ$35 rail tour, NZ$127 zip line -
5. Gold Discovery Centre and Gold Mine Tour
New owners Karen and Eddie Morrow manage both this and the Waihi information center (in the same location), and their enthusiasm is infectious. You can head underground to the interactive museum for an explanation of the region’s gold-mining history. The roof is lined with timbers as if you are in a real mine shaft. You can operate a compressor drill; fire the explosives; learn about local geology and the role of stamper batteries in extracting gold from rock; and understand the social upheavals of striking miners, unions, and bosses. If you want to see the real thing, take a tour (1½ hours) to Waihi’s still-working mine. Bike rental is also available here.
126 Seddon St., Waikato, 3610, New Zealand07-863--9015Sight Details
Rate Includes: From NZ$28; tours from NZ$44 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Goldfields Railway
This half-hour, 7-km (4½-mile) heritage-train journey into the Karangahake Gorge follows part of the former Waihi to Paeroa line, built in 1905 after five years of challenging construction in the steep gorge country. The train travels from historic Waihi Railway Station to the Waikino Station Café (with great house-made baked goods). Travel one-way or round-trip, or bring your bike---from Waikino to Paeroa, the former railway line now forms part of the Hauraki Rail Trail for bikers and walkers. Train reservations are recommended.
30 Wrigley St., Waihi, Bay of Plenty, 3610, New Zealand07-863--9020Sight Details
Rate Includes: From NZ$15 -
7. McLaren Falls Park
Four hundred and ninety-four acres of parkland, alongside a gentle flowing river that tumbles over the small McLaren Falls, make a great spot for a picnic or driving break. Picnic tables, coin-operated barbecues, and toilets are located throughout. Walks include a 10-minute easy bushwalk to the falls and more strenuous walks to lookouts on Pine Tree Knoll or The Ridge. It's located a 15-minute drive south of Tauranga off State Highway 29, one of the main roads into Tauranga.
State Hwy. 29, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, 3171, New Zealand07-578–8103 -
8. Papamoa Hills Regional Park
Papamoa HillsA 45-minute climb through this 108-acre regional park will take you to the summit of a former Māori pā that dates back to 1460. It’s one of the earliest archaeological sites in the region. From the parking lot the trail is clearly marked: you climb through pine forest, then open farmland. Stop for the views, if not to catch your breath. The park is a 20-km (12½-mile) drive east of Tauranga (en route to Whakatane). You'll need to get off the tolled expressway for access. If traveling from Tauranga, take the Papamoa exit and then follow the signs indicating the free road to Te Puke. Go past Welcome Bay Road and look for Poplar Lane on the right. The parking lot is at the end of Poplar Lane.
Poplar La., Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, 3187, New Zealand
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