4 Best Sights in Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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.

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.

In the center of Waihi, gaze in awe into the huge open pit of the Martha Mine, one of the world's most significant gold and silver mines of its time. Since the late 1800s, thousands of miners worked here, extracting 174,000 kilograms of gold and more than a million kilos of silver. Cross the road from the Waihi i-SITE Visitor Information Centre to the Cornish Pumphouse (relocated here) for a glimpse into the pit, and perhaps walk around the Pit Rim Walkway (5 km/3 miles). For a more insightful experience book a trip with Gold Discovery Tours.

Nineteen km (12 miles) north of Katikati, Waihi Beach is ideal for swimming and surfing and has access to numerous walkways. With 9 km (5½ miles) of sweeping white sand, the beach is one of the region's safest for swimming, surfing, and kayaking, and is particularly popular in peak summer (January). A surf club offers beach patrols at the beach's northern end and in summer at the far Bowentown end in the south, although you'll find people splashing about all along the long white stretch. Don't miss the drive to the top of the Bowentown heads at the southern end of Waihi Beach. This is an old Māori pā (fortified village) with stunning views. A short but steep walk from here leads to Cave Bay directly below the viewing point. Don't swim at Cave Bay; there are dangerous currents here.

The Waihi Beach township encompasses restaurants and shops, and there is a full range of accommodations, from holiday parks to boutique lodges. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguard; parking; toilets; waters sports. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.