A 3-Day Road Trip in the Coromandel

As always, I am extremely behind on my blogging. We left Laos 3 weeks ago and our time in New Zealand has gone by way too quickly. Since we were only in New Zealand for 3 weeks, our itinerary ended up being pretty packed. New Zealand really stunned me with its awesome views, so I decided to break this into multiple posts or else it will end up as a turbo load of information.

We arrived at Auckland International Airport on December 12^th and spent the first night getting over jetlag, since it is quite a time difference between Laos and New Zealand. Luckily, we slept quite well on the plane, so once we had a well-needed sleep the first night here, we had no problem starting our adventure here out on the right foot. Our 3-day road trip in the Coromandel started from Auckland and on our last night we made our way out to Te Aroha, so we could visit the Hobbiton Movie Set the next day.

What is the Coromandel

The Coromandel is a peninsula that is located about 2 hours from Auckland. It is well known for its hiking trails and good beaches. Some of New Zealand’s coolest natural wonders are found here!

Day 1: Auckland to Whitianga

We departed Auckland just after 10 am since we wanted to sleep in and make sure we were over our jetlag. I actually had not read an extensive number of blogs about the Coromandel. I knew I wanted to stop at Thames since it was mentioned in some blogs and we needed to pick up some things. However, on the way to Thames, I read about The Cheese Barn at Matatoki located outside of Kopu.

 

The Cheese Barn

Good cheese in South East Asia is few and far between, so Daniel and I both had insane cravings for cheese. It was a small detour out of our way, so we thought we would have to do it. The Cheese Barn is really adorable.

They have a little café inside, so we decided to share a small cheese platter. They have an enclosure with goats, sheep, and alpacas right outside of the café. The animals were so cute! I think we enjoyed seeing animals since it had been awhile since we had seen a hobby farm.

I love hobby farms but especially alpaccas and their squashy cute faces

The cheese platter was a great lunch. All of the cheeses are made on-site and they were quite tasty. They hit the spot for our cheese lust. For us, this was a very necessary stop.

Thames and Tapu

We picked up some products that we had run out of while travelling while in Thames. Then we drove up along the coast to Tapu. The views here were really beautiful since the Firth of Thames was on our left-hand side.

 

Square Kauri Tree

Danne was using the app maps.me, so he wanted to go the detour route to our destination since he wanted to drive through a mountain pass. On the way, we passed the Square Kauri Tree. We actually missed the parking lot the first time since it was just a little extra gravel on the side of the road.

Some views of the Square Kauri Tree

It was a quick 5-minute walk to the tree, which is square as its name suggests. There was quite a nice view from the short walk and it was cool to see a square tree. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see this tree, but since it was on our way it was a good pit stop.

 

Check in at On the Beach Backpackers Lodge

We originally only booked one night at this lodge. However, to really explore this area of the Coromandel, I would suggest booking 2 nights. We ended up extending our stay the next day since we loved this lodge so much. You really can’t miss it since it is the brightest building at Buffalo Beach.

 

Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach is a favourite for locals and tourists alike while visiting the Coromandel. There is a hot water flow under the sand which has temperatures up to 65 °C—so, pretty freaking hot. We got a free shovel from our backpacker’s lodge, but you can also rent a shovel near the parking lot. Once you arrive at the beach, find all the others and dig a hole so you can enjoy a free natural hot tub.

The best time to go is around low tide. So, I would recommend checking the tide calendar or asking your accommodation about it. There were many people there, so finding a good spot was a bit tough. We tried to find our own cozy spot but the ocean waves washed it away. We ended up getting lucky and perfecting a hole that was left by a group that decided to leave.

Daniel trying to dig a private hole vs. where we actually had to place our hole (where there are tons of people!)

We were there in the evening so being the warm pool was quite welcoming. Just be careful where you place your stuff since our bags got a bit drenched at one point. Also, one end of your pool can be quite cool while the other feels boiling. I burnt my foot a bit while trying to take a good picture of Daniel. I guess anything for a good picture, right?

 

Day 2: Whitianga and Hahei

Once again we decided to sleep in and have a lazy morning. Our main goal was to explore the other side of Mercury Bay. You can take a passenger ferry across but we drove since we wanted to explore Hahei Beach and Cathedral Cove, which are too far way by walking. We parked out car in Hahei Village Carpark and took a long walk up. There are shuttle busses, but we felt like enjoying the sceneries.

 

Hahei Beach

By now, I think that Hahei Beach has warmed up a bit and would be a fantastic place to swim. It was quite windy when we were there but we had our lunch stop here.

I love the beaches in New Zealand. They remind me a bit of the beaches at home but the sand is whiter and there are beaches everywhere. I will definitely miss having an abundance of white sandy beaches when we are back in Sweden and Canada.

 

Cathedral Cove/Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve

From Hahei Beach, there is a hike up to Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve. There are different bays and coves here, with the most famous being Cathedral Cove. Our entire walk took us a couple hours, but it was worth it.

We wore runners on the path, but we did see people walking it in flip-flops. I always prefer to walk in runners since I find it so much more comfortable. However, it can be smart to have sandals once you arrive at Cathedral Cove since it is sandy.

The highlight at the end of the walk is Cathedral Cove. This cove has been in the movie The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which I think is pretty neat. This cove was created through water erosion so it really is an impressive piece of nature.

The caves of Cathedral Cove

There are two sides to Cathedral Cove, which are separated by a cave. Both sides are worth exploring, but the left side is a bit more picturesque. We took this opportunity to take some Christmas card pictures in Santa hats.

So many great shots to be taken while visiting this beautiful natural site

While walking back, we took a quick stop at Gemstone Bay, which is known for its good snorkelling. It was getting a bit late, and even though I lugged by snorkel gear the entire way, it just looked too cold to snorkel in. Danne braved the cold waters, but he barely saw anything. I guess snorkelling can easily be a disappointment after snorkelling on Hatta Island in Indonesia. I will admit that we were not there at the right time of the day, so that could be why the visibility was so poor.

Watch the YouTube video above for a drone shot of Cathedral Cove

Day 3: Whitianga to Te Aroha

This morning we finally left our lovely accommodation at On the Beach Backpackers Lodge and drove all the way to Te Aroha. However, we tried to make some good stops on the way.

 

Whangamata

I already had Whangamata recommended to me by a friend who is a local in New Zealand. It ended up being the perfect place to have a lunch stop and take a walk on the beach. Unfortunately, it was still a bit too cold to swim. However, I bet it would be fine now that the water temperature has warmed up a bit in the past few weeks.

Danne and I enjoying Whangamata Beach

If we come back to the Coromandel then I would definitely like to stay in Whangamata next time. It would be a great destination if you want to visit a cozy town and hit the beach.

Yeap, definitely need to stay here next time

 

Waihi and Bowentown

We continued to drive south and ended up first in Waihi town where we took a coffee stop. Then, Daniel saw they had a mine in town so I naturally got dragged there. The mine was large and quite impressive. However, I did not travelled all this way to New Zealand to visit a mine. Visiting a mine is quite an easy feat to keep Danny Boy happy.

Well, when you are dating a geological nerd may was well join in on the fun

Daniel and I then drove out to Bowentown, which is on a peninsula. A quick side note: I love the name of this town since it sounds like something in a fantasy novel. So, a big plus to Bowentown for having such a cool name. Driving there was nice and it ended at a great beach. We got some ice cream from a local (and very tasty) vendor on the beach’s main parking lot and walked up the small hill there. The views from up there were really nice and it was a great way to see the landscape.

After the walk, we took a quick swim stop. I once again did not swim (I promise I have by now! It was just too cold a few weeks ago!). So, Danne got to refresh himself in the ocean water and then we continued on our road trip.

 

Karangahake Gorge

Our last stop of the day was at Karangahake Gorge. This gorge used to be a mining facility and now offers walking trails that are also totally free! When we were there it wasn’t very busy, but we ended up driving past it a few days ago and it was swamped. So, try to visit when it isn’t super high season.

Walking along the Karangahake Gorge trail

After being cooped in a car all day, I love taking a quick walk and seeing some nature. There is a river that cuts through two edges, which is connected by a suspension bridge.

There are many different trails to take, but we wanted our stop to be around an hour, so we didn’t take the longest ones. We chose one that allowed us to go inside dark tunnels. Make sure you bring a flashlight (or have your phone with you) so you can see in the dark.

There are so many nice views on this walk

There were information signs along the way so we could learn a bit about how they used to mine here back in the days. The trails here are well maintained so I think it would be easy for all fitness levels.

 

 

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Well, that is how we spent 3 days/2 nights in the Coromandel. There is a lot to see and if we had warmer weather it would have been worth it to have some more stops to enjoy the beaches. It is a really beautiful spot to relax. There is really no surprise that so many Kiwis head out to the Coromandel to celebrate Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

If you have also travelled in the Coromandel, what did you think of it? Did I miss out on any must-dos in the area? If this is the first time you have heard of the Coromandel, let me know what place you would like to visit the most. Write a comment at the end of this page!

 

xx

Jasmine

 

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