Fringing both shores of the sparsely inhabited peninsula are endless pohutakawa trees whose rich red blooms are a stunning feature of the landscape between October and December. The area is steeped in gold-mining history, vividly brought to life in the Thames Gold Mine and Stamper Battery. The sleepy town of Coromandel, also a former gold mining centre, offers a scenic narrow-gauge rail trip up into the hills and is the jumping off point for one of New Zealand’s renowned coastal paths, the 57km Coromandel Walkway.
Over on the eastern side, beautiful Mercury Bay and the town of Whitianga are a great base to explore the region and offer diverse experiences such as bone carving, snorkelling in Cathedral Cove and a natural ‘sauna’ on Hot Water Beach, where hot springs emerge below the sand. South of here are the twin resorts of Tairua and Pauanui.
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Northland