Tairua sits at the mouth of a tidal estuary on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, a small, easy-going town beneath a dome of volcanic rock called Mount Paku. The mountain is the remnant of an old volcano, a steep, bush-covered hump about 179 metres high, and a short walking track leads to the top, where a viewing platform looks out over the estuary, the town and the Pacific. On a clear day, you can see a line of small islands offshore, and the long beaches stretching both ways. It is a modest climb, and a good one for a rider who wants to get off the bike and see where he is.
Across the water is Pauanui, a twin town built in the 1960s as a holiday resort, with canals and boat moorings, and a passenger ferry links the two in summer. Tairua itself is older, with a small harbour, a wharf where fishing boats tie up, and a main street of cafés and shops. The Māori name is said to mean two tides, a nod to the way the estuary has water coming in from two directions, and legend holds that the great Arawa canoe visited here on its voyage from Hawaiki. Kauri logs were once floated down the river from the hills to the harbour, a trade that shaped the early European settlement.
The riding on the way in, along State Highway 25, is a joy. The road runs between the hills and the sea, with plenty of bends, good surface and views of beaches and bays. It is well used, so slow vehicles and holiday traffic are common, but passing places are frequent. In wet weather the road is slippery, and in summer it fills with campervans and cars. The scenery is lovely, with forest, farmland and glimpses of the sea, and the pōhutukawa in the roadside bush are a sight in December.
Tairua is a handy place to stop for fuel, food and a rest. The town has a petrol station, a supermarket, bakeries and cafés serving good coffee and fresh fish, and a few places to stay. Whangamata to the south and Thames to the west are larger, but there is rarely any need to go that far. The beach at Tairua is wide and gentle, and a swim on a warm day is a fine reward after a morning in the saddle.