Things to do in Coromandel
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Coromandel
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer peak: warmest sea, patrols on main beaches, every business open, and the highest prices, crowds and gridlock.
Autumn: warm sea into April, crowds and prices fall after Easter, and the best walking weather of the year.
Winter: quiet, green and cheap, short days, a cold sea, reduced hours and closures, and rain that can close roads.
Spring: businesses reopen, waterfalls are full and walking is good, with the most changeable weather and a still cool sea.
What's on
- Keltic Fair Early January
Coromandel Town's long running Celtic themed fair day of stalls, music and entertainment, filling the town for a day.
- Repco Beach Hop Late March
Five days of 1950s and 1960s cars, rock and roll and fashion in Whangamata, drawing enormous crowds and selling out the town.
- Mercury Bay Art Escape Two weekends in March
Artists around Whitianga, Cooks Beach, Hahei and Tairua open their studios, the best arts weekend of the year here.
- Whitianga Oceans Festival Usually a Saturday in mid September
A one day waterfront festival of local seafood, food stalls and live music at Whitianga marina.
- Thames Steampunk Festival Mid November
Costumed steampunk, parades and markets fill the Grahamstown heritage precinct in Thames for a long weekend.
Best things to do in Coromandel
Cathedral Cove
A white sand cove and great rock arch in a marine reserve, reached by a coastal walk that must be checked with DOC on the day.
Hot Water Beach
Dig your own hot pool in the sand in the two hours either side of low tide, then mix in seawater to cool it.
New Chums Beach
A roadless, undeveloped white sand beach reached by a low tide walk around the rocks from Whangapoua.
Driving Creek Railway
A hand built narrow gauge railway climbing through restored native forest to a gulf viewpoint, with pottery on site.
The Lost Spring
Landscaped geothermal pools with poolside service and a treetop day spa in the middle of Whitianga.
Mercury Bay Museum
A small, good town museum covering Kupe, Cook in Mercury Bay, kauri, gold and the fishing years.
Karangahake Gorge
A gold mining gorge of suspension bridges, battery ruins and the Windows Walk tunnels above the Ohinemuri River.
The Pinnacles Walk
The big Coromandel summit walk to 759 metres, best done with a booked night in the 80 bunk Pinnacles Hut.
Where to stay in Coromandel
Whitianga and Mercury Bay
first trips, families, widest services
The largest town, with the museum, the Lost Spring, boat trips, a supermarket and a medical centre, 15 to 25 minutes from Hahei and Hot Water Beach.
Hahei and the Cathedral Cove side
the cove, kayaking and beach first trips
A small beach village at the cove walk and the kayak trips, with a general store and few evening options, so self catering helps.
Coromandel Town
character, food, Driving Creek and the 309 Road
An arty gold rush town on tidal west coast flats, an hour or more from the east coast beaches, with the best main street on the peninsula.
Whangamata
surf, Donut Island and a livelier beach town
A surf town in the far south east with a patrolled beach and good cafes, a long slow drive from the northern sights.
Thames
the Pinnacles, Karangahake and a gateway night
The working gateway town with the hospital, supermarkets and the valley road, on tidal mudflat rather than a swimming beach, and with no luxury tier.
Think twice about
- Thames as a beach base
Thames shore is tidal mudflat on the Firth of Thames. Sleep there for the Pinnacles or a gateway night, not for a beach holiday.
- Remote northern peninsula beyond Colville as a first time base
Long gravel roads, fords and slips after rain, and no fuel or shop at the far end make it a day trip or a walkers base, not a general base.
Best restaurants in Coromandel
The Church Bistro
Dinner in a relocated historic church in Hahei, local fish and eye fillet, the peninsula's special occasion room.
Salt Restaurant & Bar
Whitianga's premier marina side dining room, seafood led modern cooking and a proper cocktail bar.
Kaizen At Go Vino
Small Cooks Beach eatery of seasonal shared plates and New Zealand wines, rated the peninsula's best meal by many.
Pepper Tree Restaurant & Bar
Coromandel Town's flagship, local mussels, oysters and fish plus steaks in a main street garden courtyard.
Blue Ginger
A walk ins only, alcohol free Asian kitchen in Whitianga punching far above its size, with a local queue.
Luke's Kitchen
Laid back Kuaotunu eatery for pizzas, local seafood and craft drinks across the road from the beach.
Mercury Bay Estate
A small family vineyard above Mercury Bay for its own wines with Italian style pizzas at a terrace lunch.
Port Road Project
Whangamata's most interesting cafe, creative brunch from Turkish eggs to barbecue flavours and craft beer.
Outdoor things to do in Coromandel
Cathedral Cove Kayaks
Guided kayaking through the marine reserve to land at Cathedral Cove, with hot drinks on the beach.
Hahei Explorer
A one hour boat trip from Hahei Beach to Cathedral Cove and the Orua sea cave along the volcanic coast.
Waiau Falls
A small waterfall and cold swimming hole 7 kilometres along the 309 Road, an easy short stop.
Waiau Kauri Grove
A short boardwalk track into the most accessible mature kauri stand on the peninsula, with a siamese kauri.
Coromandel Coastal Walkway
A remote 10 kilometre coastal walk between Stony Bay and Fletcher Bay at the roadless northern tip.
Mount Paku
A short steep climb up Tairua's volcanic cone for views to Pauanui, the harbour mouth and the Alderman Islands.
Hauraki Rail Trail
Flat rail trail riding and walking through Karangahake Gorge and on to Thames, tunnels and mining relics included.
The Waterworks
A quirky water powered gadget park of flying foxes, cannons and playgrounds, the best family half day off the beach.
Best hotels in Coromandel
970 Lonely Bay Lodge
Mercury Bay's closest thing to a luxury lodge, boutique suites above Lonely Bay across the ferry from Whitianga.
Beachside Resort Whitianga
A well kept resort style motel in Whitianga with a heated pool, a short walk to the beach, wharf and dinner.
Whitianga Holiday Park
The town holiday park done properly, sites and cabins with shared kitchens and a social family atmosphere.
The Church Accommodation
Small boutique accommodation at Hahei's converted church site, a short walk from the beach, aimed at couples.
Tatahi Lodge Beach Resort Hahei
A comfortable mid tier lodge motel in Hahei village with gardens and self contained units near the beach.
Hahei Beach Resort
The beachfront holiday park at Hahei, sites and cabins behind one of the peninsula's best swimming beaches.
Hush Boutique Accommodation
A small boutique stay in bush outside Coromandel Town, the premium couples base on the west coast.
Anchor Lodge Coromandel
A well regarded motel lodge in Coromandel Town with a pool and gardens, walkable to main street dinner.
Is Coromandel expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NZ$140 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NZ$280 a person |
| Splurge | NZ$550 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cathedral Cove: a few days ahead
- Driving Creek Railway: a few days ahead
- The Lost Spring: a few days ahead
- The Pinnacles Walk: weeks ahead
- Whenuakura Island: a few days ahead
- Cathedral Cove Kayaks: a few days ahead
- Hahei Explorer: a few days ahead
- The Waterworks: a few days ahead
- Book December to February and Beach Hop accommodation weeks to months ahead, and the Pinnacles Hut in advance through DOC.
- Book Cathedral Cove Kayaks, Donut Island tours, Driving Creek trains and the top restaurants days to weeks ahead in summer.
Is Coromandel safe?
- Swim only between the flags at patrolled beaches. Hot Water Beach has a strong rip near the rocks and people have drowned there.
- Medical services are limited, with the nearest hospital in Thames. Dial 111 in an emergency and carry regular medication with you.
- Heavy rain brings slips and flooding that close SH25, SH25A and local roads. Never drive through floodwater or past a closed sign.
- Clean footwear at kauri dieback stations and stay on formed tracks in kauri forest.
Coromandel travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Hot Water Beach at high tide has no diggable hot pools. Plan the day around low tide, two hours either side.
- New Chums Beach is a low tide walk in. Going at high tide risks slippery rocks and getting caught out.
- Do not promise Cathedral Cove on a fixed day. The track closes on orange or red weather warnings.
Getting around Coromandel: public transport and more
- You need a car. There is no practical visitor public transport on the peninsula and coverage drops out in valleys and the north.
- SH25 is winding and narrow with one lane bridges, and the partly gravel 309 Road takes the better part of an hour between Coromandel Town and Whitianga.
- Check the NZTA Journey Planner before cross peninsula drives and after heavy rain, and check DOC alerts on the day for walks.
- Take the passenger ferry from Whitianga to Ferry Landing for Shakespeare Cliff, Lonely Bay and Cooks Beach without a car.
Who Coromandel suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Coromandel your trip
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