Coromandel Peninsula Loop from Thames

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Thames

   Thames is the gateway to the Coromandel, and it behaves like one, a handsome, slightly worn gold town that still has a main street of old verandahs and a stack of heritage stories. In the 1860s the strike of gold in the nearby hills brought thousands of diggers, and for a few years this was one of the largest towns in New Zealand. The mines have gone, but the School of Mines building and the mineral museum are reminders, and the long tidal flats on the Firth of Thames in front of the town are a world-class stopover for migrating shorebirds.

   Read the complete Thames write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Thames is where the day begins. Next is Coromandel Town.

2. 2. Coromandel Town

   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.

   Read the complete Coromandel town write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Coromandel Town comes up about 54 km into the recorded legs. Next is Whitianga.

3. 3. Whitianga

   Whitianga lies on the east side of the Coromandel Peninsula, on the shore of Mercury Bay, a wide, sheltered, sandy bay that has been popular with sea-goers for almost a thousand years. The Māori navigator Kupe is said to have landed here, and in 1769 Captain Cook anchored in the bay to observe the transit of Mercury, giving the bay its English name. Today it is a relaxed little resort town of three or four thousand people, built around a marina, a long beach and a long tradition of fishing, and it is the best base on this side of the Coromandel.

   Read the complete Near Whitianga write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   At least about 98 km into the recorded legs you reach Whitianga. Next is Cathedral Cove.

4. 4. Cathedral Cove

   Cathedral Cove is a sea arch on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, a high, pale tunnel of volcanic rock cut by the waves, which links two small beaches and frames the sea like a window. It stands within a marine reserve, and the water around it is clear, with rocks and kelp beds that attract fish and snorkellers. The cliffs above are crowned with the red flowers of pōhutukawa, the New Zealand Christmas tree, which bloom in December and give the coast a blaze of colour. The arch itself is vast, high enough to hold a house, and the sand underfoot is soft and white.

   Read the complete Cathedral Cove write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Cathedral Cove, about halfway. Next is Tairua.

5. 5. Tairua

   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.

   Read the complete Tairua write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Tairua sits at 97 km, late in the day. Next is Thames.

6. 6. Thames

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Thames write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 210 km.