Coromandel Town is the real thing: a small, unhurried settlement of around fifteen hundred people on the west side of the peninsula, facing the Hauraki Gulf at the head of a quiet harbour. It is the last proper town before the road goes feral in the north, and it earns its place on the Auckland loop as a lunch stop and a point of arrival, since the road in from Thames is one of the great coastal rides in the country.
That road, State Highway 25, is the hero. It clings to the shore of the Firth of Thames for nearly fifty kilometres, with big pōhutukawa trees arching overhead and the tide often only a metre below the verge. In December the trees flower scarlet. It is slow, narrow and bendy enough that the average speed is low, so give it time and watch for campervans coming the other way, wide on the hairpins. After the shore the road climbs and drops over the ridge at the Coromandel Range, which has its own tight corners, then rolls down to the town.
Gold made this town. The 1860s rush brought thousands of prospectors, and the harbour was busy with ships. After the gold gave out, the timber industry, with its kauri forests, and later farming and tourism kept the town going. Some old buildings along the main street retain their wooden verandas, and a small mining museum tells the story. The Driving Creek Railway, built by a potter, climbs through native bush and is one of the more unusual attractions of the area.
For the rider, the town is simple and easy. There is a petrol station, a bakery, a few cafes and a pub or two, and you can fill up and eat without fuss. Whitianga, on the east side and about twenty kilometres away, is bigger and has more choice for both. The famous smoked mussels and the fresh seafood are the dish to choose here.
Plan the timing: summer holidays bring crowds, and the roads fill with rental vans and trailers. Autumn is quieter, with warm days and still seas. Winter brings rain and cold, but also solitude, and a rider with decent waterproofs has the peninsula nearly to himself.