ROAD TRIP - Kaiaua to Whitianga

A journey through Coromandel

Kaiaua to Ngātea to Thames via coastal & inland roads through Miranda & Kopu 45min, 54.2km

Thames to Coromandel township via SH 25 1hr, 54km

Coromandel to Whitianga via SH 25 through Kūaotunu 45min, 42.6km

SIDE TRIP - Coromandel to Port Jackson Take the coastal road 1hr 22min, 55km

SIDE TRIP - Te Rerenga to New Chum Beach via a short trip off SH 25 12min, 8km

The Firth of Thames is famous for its Shorebird Centre, just 75km from Auckland. So begin your adventure with a spot of bird watching, before relaxing in the steaming hot pools at Miranda. Enjoy a serving of fish and chips at Kaiaua Fisheries before heading for Thames, the perfect spot for stocking up on supplies. Consider taking a 12km detour up the Kauaeranga Valley to indulge in some hiking. Returning to the route, you’ll be hugging the coast most of the way from here on in. Windy narrow roads with pōhutukawa trees border one side of the road while beautiful blue sea dominates the other. Continue through to Coromandel Town with its cafés and craft emporiums, until you reach the glorious beaches and historical landmarks of Whitianga.

Wai Ora Ana blowhole, Hahei

© Graeme Murray

HIGHLIGHTS

PŪKOROKORO MIRANDA SHOREBIRD CENTRE Birdwatchers from around the world flock here to fuel their passion for ornithology. Learn about various seabirds and see the godwits arrive and depart on their annual migration. There is accommodation here too, in a self-contained unit and dormitory.

ROBERT FINDLAY WILDLIFE RESERVE Between October and March, the salt marshes attract thousands of migratory wading birds. Use the bird-hide to view shorebirds up close, a 30-minute walk from the Shorebird Centre.

KAIAUA This seaside town has a safe swimming beach and huge ice creams at The Pink Shop.

NGĀTEA On the Hauraki Plains, this rural service town is a good place to stop for a break. The Ngātea Water Gardens are very amusing and the gem store is well worth visiting, too.

DRIVING CREEK RAILWAY New Zealand’s only narrow-gauge railway takes passengers on a one-hour journey though bush-clad landscapes before stopping at the 163m-high Eyefull Tower. There are also eight forest-shrouded ziplines, the longest being 200m in length.

TAKE THE 309 ROAD Between Whitianga and Coromandel Town. Stop at The Waterworks, a quirky theme park filled with waterpowered inventions including a water clock and water cannons.

KŪAOTUNU is a pretty seaside settlement 18km north of Whitianga. Home to a lovely beach, Luke’s Kitchen for wood-fired pizza and the legendary 10-scoop ice cream from Kūaotunu Store.

TOP WALKS

WAIOMU KAURI GROVE WALK Located in the Coromandel Forest Park, this walk will take you to one of the Coromandel Peninsula’s finest remaining kauri stands. 2hr 30min, 2.5km.

MARTHA MINE PIT RIM WALKWAY An easy walk that takes you around the edge of the dramatic opencast Martha Mine. 4.2km

Pit Rim Walkway

© Waihi NZ

KAUAERANGA KAURI TRAIL (PINNACLES WALK) This isn’t an easy walk as it has a lot of climbing, but the views from the top of those craggy rocks makes it worth the slog. Can be done as a day loop or with a night in the hut. Allow 8hr return.

The Pinnacles

© Destination Coromandel

NEW CHUM WALKWAY Set off from Whangapoua Beach and walk the short stretch to New Chum Beach. A pretty track to an even prettier beach. Takes a mere 30min.

WALKWAY Walk from Stony Bay to Fletcher Bay to enjoy untouched forest and bush, excellent birdlife and divine ocean views all the way out to Great Barrier Island. Then either go back the way you came or hire a shuttle. 7km one way.

THAMES

When Thames was first established in the 1870s, it quickly became a bustling hive of activity, and when gold mining was at its peak, the town was home to an estimated 113 pubs. Located just 90 minutes from Auckland, stop here for its three museums, fetching historic buildings and a spot of gold panning. Sleeping God Canyon is 20 minutes inland from Thames. It’s here daring types can canyon in Kauaeranga Valley. Join Canyonz Sleeping God for a 300m descent via waterfall abseils, water slides and heart-pumping high jumps.

Sleeping God Canyon

© Destination Coromandel

If history is of interest, visit the THAMES HISTORICAL MUSEUM Learn all about Thames’ early settlers via unique displays, model heritage buildings and the town’s first newspapers. Open Friday to Wednesday 10am- 3pm. Try gold panning at the SCHOOL OF MINES AND MINERALOGICAL MUSEUM or trawl through family history archives at THE TREASURY. For refreshment, THE DEPOT is a creative retail and food precinct. Pop into Café Melbourne and the Coromandel Distillery. Thames is also one of the entry points for the popular 173km HAURAKI RAIL TRAIL cycle path, an easy ride for most capable cyclists. If a two-legged jaunt is more your style, the KAUAERANGA VALLEY (12km from Thames) won’t disappoint. Here hikers can trek to the famous PINNACLES HUT. There are numerous gentle bush walks to choose from in the area, too.

SHUCK IN! Situated roadside, 5km from Coromandel Town is the Coromandel Oyster Company. This rustic coastal establishment serves freshly harvested oysters, scallops, mussels and more.

EAT. EXPLORE. REPEAT.

WAIAU FALLS SWIMMING HOLE Divert up the 309 Road for 7km. A short, five-minute walk leads to this waterfall and swimming lagoon.

COROMANDEL BIKE PARK There’s a track for every style of rider nestled deep in regenerating kauri forest and weaving through an historic mining area. Choose from the asphalt pump track, descent trails and 6km of Grade 3 cross-country trails.

COROMANDEL MUSSEL KITCHEN Gorge on fresh green-shell mussels in a garden setting. Whether you prefer your mussels crumbed, battered, marinated or served by the kilo, they’ve got you covered.

THE CHEESE BARN, MATĀTOKI A cheese shop with its own country café serving delicious cheese boards, pizza and pies.

HIKE AND BIKE COROMANDEL Hire a pushbike or ebike and explore Coromandel Town. For an adventure, grab a mountain bike and head up to Colville – the locals know all the trails.

THAMES COAST SUNSET BIKE RIDES Sunset along Thames Coast Road is spectacular. Hire a bike from Joly Bikes and set off just before the sun dips.

WAIOMU BEACH CAFÉ, THAMES Enjoy the coastal setting and sea-licked outdoor seats. It’s also super dog friendly; treat your pooch to a home-made dog biscuit.

THAMES MARKET, GRAHAMSTOWN Exploding onto north Thames’ streets every Saturday morning from 8am until midday.

Mussel feast

© Bruce Gatward-Cook

COROMANDEL TOWN

This cool little town started life as a tough gold-rushsettlement and the place has clung to its roots. Ithas beautifully restored Victorian buildings and anentrepreneurial and creative spirit evident in its artstudios, crafts and galleries.

As well as original paintings, ceramics and jewellery, Zealand’s best mussels and oysters come from the water here. Why not charter a boat for a spot of mussel farming or snapper fishing with Mussel Barge Snapper Safaris.

Several delightful, safe-swimming bays and coves are easily accessible to Coromandel township. Long Bay is the closest beach, just 3km northwest.

FAMILY FUN: Need a break from the car and a good run around?

• Coromandel Zipline Tours

• Waterworks, Waiau

• Queen St Playground, Thames

• Fishing from the rocks

• Gold panning with Thames Goldmine Experience

• Driving Creek Railway, Coromandel

ARTS & CRAFTS

The stretch of road is bursting with art studios where talented crafts people ply their trades.

• Mosaic Gallery, Whitianga

• Carson’s Gallery, Thames

• The Source, Coromandel Town

• Copperworkx, Coromandel Town

• Hauraki House Gallery, Coromandel Town

• Driving Creek Railway & Potteries, Coromandel

• Kūaotunu Hall

WHITIANGA

A delightful seaside town with great beaches and a deep harbour, Whitianga is popular with sightseers and holidaymakers.

ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS WHITIANGI-O-KUPE or Kupe’s Crossing Place after the explorer Kupe who first passed through these parts in about 950AD, Whitianga became one of the longest permanently occupied regions of New Zealand. Many years later, in 1769, Captain James Cook was searching for a spot to observe the Transit of Mercury and he was not disappointed; Cooks Beach and Mercury Bay are named for that astronomical occasion. As the second largest town in the Coromandel, Whitianga is renowned for its annual WHITIANGA OCEAN FESTIVAL, held every September. Much loved attractions such as CATHEDRAL COVE and HOT WATER BEACH are also on the doorstep, as is the ALDERMEN ISLANDS – made up of four uninhabited island wildlife reserves and renowned for open-water diving. Don’t miss THE LOST SPRING, a luxurious geothermal complex with mineral pools that’s decidedly adult-orientated.

Cathedral Cove

© Adobe Stock

SIDE TRIP - PORT JACKSON

The further north you head, the more rustic and unspoiled the landscape becomes. So pack the thermos, some fishing gear and your sense of adventure as you meander up to one of the northernmost parts of the Coromandel, Port Jackson. Its campground, run by the Department of Conservation, is a delightful spot and offers gas barbecues, basic amenities and a cluster of picnic tables painted with board games, including backgammon and checkers.

Port Jackson

© Adobe Stock

SIDE TRIP - NEW CHUM BEACH

This unspoilt paradise is permanently protected from development. Park your car at Whangapoua Beach, between Coromandel Township and Whitianga, and walk 30 minutes over a stream and rocky boulders via a delightful track that leads to New Chum Beach. Whangapoua Campsite is the only campsite in vicinity to New Chum Beach.

New Chum Beach

© Adobe Stock