Coromandel - North Island, New Zealand

About 58 kms north of Thames is the pretty and significant town of Coromandel in the northern part of the Coromandel Peninsula. In 1852, gold was discovered in the northern part of the town and this led to a boom for a period of time.

Today, it is a charming little town acting as a service centre and a mini tourist attraction with decent facilities. The town is the gateway to the Coromandel Walkway that is 57 kms away in the northern peninsula.

The Visitor Centre and the Department of Conservation (DOC) are combined into a single office on Kapanga Rd in the northern end of town. This is a good source of local information. Buses stop at the car park opposite the visitor centre.

Coromandel Accommodation

Though a small town, Coromandel offers plenty of very decent accommodation choices with good variety. There is a campsite in the town centre. A few kilometres north of the town, there is a beautiful luxury lodge. There are also motels, cottages and backpacker hostels. Coromandel offers some very good eating choices in the form of good restaurants and cafes.

There are a few old buildings on the main road in town, the remnants of the town's gold mining heydays. The SH25 leads on to Tiki Rd which in turn branches into Wharf Rd running to the harbour and Kapanga Rd lined with shops and cafes.

This road heads out of town to the north as Colville Road. To the north of the visitor centre is the Coromande Historical Museum on Rings Road. There are displays harking back to the town's goldmining heydays.

Driving Creek Railway and Potteries is located on Driving Creek Road, about 3.5 kms to the north of the town. The train climbs 120 metres over a distance of 3 kms. The ride is a combination of breathtaking views, ingenious engineering and design. The ride starts and ends at the workshop where there are exhibits of several types of pottery.

The Coromandel Goldfields Centre and Stamper Battery is located 1.5 kms to the north of the town along Buffalo Road. This is where the town's gold mining history is preserved.

The processing of gold using a 1899 built stamper battery is demonstrated. You can also try your hand at gold panning. The beach of Long Bay lies 3 kms west of the town and leads to a pleasant walk through a scenic reserve.

Coromandel Activities

The landscape to the north of Coromandel is rugged leading to bush covered hills and beautiful beaches with blue sea and white sand. This area is called Pohutukawa Cape after the beautiful pohutukawa trees characterising this region.

Freelance camping is discouraged and moreover, this area lacks any kind of facilities. Of late, the Department of Conservation (DOC) has opened 5 waterside campsites in the northern peninsula. There is a high demand for these campsites between Christmas and mid January.

Colville is about 20 kms away from Coromandel town. The General Store is the last (pricey) chance to stock up on last minute supplies for the Coromandel Walkway. Colville offers decent accommodation choices. There is an opportunity to go horse trekking here.

From Colville you can drive on dusty gravel roads to the far north to beaches at Port Jackson with views to Great Barrier and Little Barrier islands. DOC provides accommodation with basic facilities. The best swimming beach ideal for swimming up here is at Fletchers Bay and this also is the starting point for the Coromandel Walkway.

The Coromandel Walkway is an 11 km walk from Fletchers Bay to Stony Bay passing through coastal hills alternating with bush and pasture. There are several lookout points along the trek offering spectacular views of the coast and Pacific Ocean. The DOC provides good quality information on the walk in a leaflet called Coromandel Recreation Information.

LooknbookNZ can organise your Coromandel accommodation and Coromandel activities bookings and let you and your family/friends enjoy the bounties of the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula.