Kicking Back in the Coromandel
Heading to New Zealand? Take the road less travelled to this pristine peninsula a few hours’ drive from Auckland
By Shannon Melnyk and Mark Sissons
Take an old mining community turned hippy enclave, add a temperate rainforest, rolling green pastures and stunning coastline and you’ve got the North Island’s most perfect hideaway. The Coromandel’s secret is out of the bag and its playground is bursting with beaches, hiking trails and exceptional fishing, yachting, scuba diving, wineries, and farm to table dining. Here are our top picks for must-dos in the Coromandel:
Mine the Puketui Valley’s secrets
The entrance to Broken Hills Goldmine. Credit: Mark Sissons
Fancy a walk in some very historic woods? Running alongside the mellow Tairua River is the picturesque Puketui Valley, which offers plenty of hiking, canoeing, bird watching, picnicking, swimming and fly-fishing opportunities. This tranquil holiday hideaway also boasts the beautiful Broken Hills Gorge, as well as a number of walking tracks through old gold mining sites still littered with artefacts left behind by hardy pioneers. Former park ranger turned passionate conservationist and nature guide, John Rich, offers fascinating walking tours here through his company, Kiwi Dundee. With a deep knowledge of endemic flora and fauna, as well as expertise in the region’s geology, John will have you wandering down long-forgotten forest paths, exploring abandoned gold mining settlements, and even darting deep into once productive gold mining caves if you dare. Awaiting you are sparkling glow worms twinkling in the darkness to attract their prey.
Savour the Falls Retreat
The Falls Retreat Chef Brad King. Credit: The Falls Retreat
Tucked away at the foot of Owharoa Falls deep in the Karangahake Gorge is a family-run utopian retreat for foodies who crave a natural setting. The Bistro is a dining cottage that boasts an open kitchen just a stone’s throw from the garden that provides “paddock to plate cuisine”. With a local, homegrown and sustainable approach in everything they do, hosts Emma and Brad King provide top-notch noshing and laid-back New Zealand hospitality. The seasonal sharing platter we sampled was a mouth-watering house-cured and smoked kahawai, seven-day cured pork fillet with minted natural yogurt, kimchi and beetroot chutney and a butternut and goat cheese stuffed portobello mushroom.
But whether you choose a fine-dining option or a fresh pizza from the wood-fired oven, the cuisine is the foundation for what is a multi-faceted retreat. You can take a pickling, bread-making or pasta masterclass, explore seasonal cooking and fermenting kombucha or learn about edible gardening and composting. When you’re done noshing and workshopping, your hosts have tiny, charming cottages for overnight rentals to enjoy a complete Falls Retreat experience.
Hit Hot Water Beach
Soaking it up at Hot Water Beach. Credit: Mark Sissons
Half sandy hideaway, half natural hot tub, world-famous Hot Water Beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula just south of Mercury Bay is a must-see and soak sensation. Geothermally heated mineral water bubbles up from deep within the earth to emerge from the sand between tides, making it a hugely popular (not to mention therapeutic) destination both for locals and tourists visiting New Zealand.
Best visited two hours either side of low-tide, this lovely stretch of Pacific seaside gets plenty busy, but that’s half the fun, seeing everyone digging away, making holes in the sand before that soothingly hot water fills them up and you can sit back and soak away your cares to the sound of the waves.
Nick Roberts, the owner of a local tour company called Sandshifters, is the man with the spades, shovels and plan when it comes to showing you the best places to dig and de-stress. A former chef and lifelong surfer and storyteller, Nick is the Coramendal’s version of the Big Lebowski of the - a blissfully laidback dude so comfortable in his own well-tanned skin that spending a day with him feels like being eighteen and carefree again on a sultry summer’s day.
Dish while you fish
Carl Muir shows off the ocean's bounty after a quick deep dive. Credit: Carl Muir
Ocean to plate, anyone? You won’t want to have an authentic New Zealand fishing and dining experience without “The Provider”, Carl Muir, as your host. It’s an apt name for this skipper, fisherman, cook, diver and storyteller extraordinaire, whose expeditions are a grateful nod to his father who provided sustenance and the Tairua way of life. Kingfish, marlin, swordfish, hapuku and snappers are rich in these parts - Carl will equip you on his fishing vessel and fill your head with entertaining fish stories as you gear up for your very own big one. If you’re into instant gratification, this is the tour for you. While we tossed our reels into the sea, Carl dove for crayfish and turned our small catches into an utter seafood feast on the boat in front of our very eyes. For those with bigger eyes than stomachs, The Provider offers large game fishing excursions and free diving, scuba and spear-fishing adventures.
Kayak Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove's arch. Credit: Mark Sissons
Probably the most Instagrammed spot in the entire Coromandel Peninsula is the naturally formed arched cavern from which Cathedral Cove derives its name. Forming part of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve, this hugely popular picnic and swimming spot can be reached by foot over a number of trails. But by far the most dramatic way to approach this iconic landmark is by sea kayak.
That’s how we reach Cathedral Cove and the pohutukawa tree-shaded sandy beaches it divides. By paddling past island and rock gardens, through sea caves and amid bountiful marine life. Arriving under the awesome pinnacle of pumice breccia rock nearby known as 'Te Hoho' that resembles the prow of a large ship steaming into the beach. Enjoying cappuccinos, hot chocolates and cookies on that beach while soaking up the sun. Then heading back to our starting point, drawing our pod of kayaks together at one point to hoist a makeshift sail and glide along the tranquil ocean while our Cathedral Cove Kayak Tours guide shares fascinating local stories and Maori legends.
Kayaking to Cathedral Cove. Credit: Mark Sissons
Wine and Dine at Mercury Bay
Flights of fancy at Mercury Bay Estates. Credit: Shannon Melnyk
A perfect day in the Coromandel might mean lounging about at Cooks Beach and taking in a vintage afternoon at one of the most scenic and popular wineries in the region. Mercury Bay Estates has a perfect patio adjacent to their vineyards for lounging, whether you’re there for a wine-tasting or a full dining experience. We opted for tasting flights of a summer bubbly blush, an aromatic red Merc blend, a sauvignon blanc with passionfruit and peach notes, and a smooth rosé pinot noir. Great grazing boards included smoked fish pate, Coromandel mussels, and venison salami with a selection of olives, chutney, macadamia Dukkah and fresh-baked breads. NZ cheeses are front and centre with dried and seasonal fruits, relish and quince jelly.
If You Go
Getting there
Air New Zealand offers convenient daily non-stop service from Vancouver to Auckland. Flight duration is around 13 hours. The Coromandel Peninsula is about a three-hour drive from Auckland International Airport
Where to stay
We recommend staying at the secluded Grand Mercure Puka Park Resort, which offers semi-detached standalone chalets nestled in the native forest on the lower slopes of Mount Pauanui.
More info:
For more information about what to do, see, taste and try in the Coromandel Peninsula, visit 100% Pure New Zealand’s website and The Coromandel: Good for the Soul.
Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.