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Jutting into the Pacific Ocean just south of Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula has two coastlines with forested, volcanic-formed valleys lying in between. It feels a world away from the busyness of the city, despite being within a three-hour drive.

Heading north from Thames, the gateway town to the peninsula, you enter a self-contained region of quiet seaside townships, hidden bays, and alternative lifestylers who fled here in the sixties to create small artisan communities. Historically, the area was a hive of gold-mining activity, and although it’s not quite the untouched Arcadia it once was, its coastline and green hinterland still provide a sense of retreat.

Historically only visited by loggers and gum-diggers, a gold rush in the late 1800s brought miners thronging to the peninsula, and many of its townships display evidence of this lucrative period.

Thames is a prime example of a once-grand gold rush town (reflected in its restored 19th-century architecture) that now simply serves the local farming community.

Today, the peninsula’s main industries are small-scale farming, fishing, and tourism, but it also does a fine line in arts and crafts. The small townships here and the general laid-back lifestyle the peninsula seems to foster have drawn artists and craftspeople from across the country.

You’ll find furniture workers, textile artists, painters, glassworkers, potters, and even M膩ori greenstone workers and bone carvers. Many will welcome you into their homes or small galleries, where you can admire works inspired by the peninsula’s pastoral and coastal scenery. You can also follow a ready-made Coromandel Craft Trail.

Coromandel’s coastlines are distinct. Along the Firth of Thames, the coast is open and rocky. It feels much wilder than the tranquil, protected beaches of the eastern coast.

It’s on the eastern coast that you’ll find two of the peninsula’s greatest natural attractions. Cathedral Cove houses a lofty cavern only accessible at low tide. From its clifftops, you have panoramic views over the peninsula and the ocean, which is dotted with small sea stacks.

Slightly farther south, there’s Hot Water Beach. Dig a little into the toffee-shaded sand and you’ll quickly hit upon geothermally heated water that you can soak your feet in. You can explore both places on a tour with ‘Kiwi’ Dundee, a charismatic local guide, as explained in our New Zealand highlights guide.

Elsewhere, things become quieter still. There are still places on the peninsula that can only be accessed via unsealed roads. Here, the landscape has remained virtually unchanged for centuries.

Best time to visit

The Coromandel Peninsula is best visited between October and May, but is especially pleasant in November, when it’s breezy but warm.