Coromandel Coastal Walkway

The beauty and solitude of the remote upper Coromandel Peninsula is something every Kiwi must experience once in their lifetime.

With several of the country's best Department of Conservation (DoC) campsites dotted along the coastline at the likes of Waikawau Bay, Fantail Bay, Stony Bay and Fletchers Bay, there is no shortage of places to pitch a tent, usually within a few metres of a deserted beach.

The Coastal Walkway linking Fletchers Bay to Stony Bay would rank as one of the most beautiful coastal walks in the country, taking in views of Great Barrier Island, Cuvier, the Hauraki Gulf and Pacific Ocean.

The 3 hour walk - in the shadow of the brooding Mt Moehau which dominates the landscape - traverses pristine bush, farmland and coastline. Stony Bay and Fletchers Bay are both hidden jewels in their own right and worth a night camping at each end.

Regular shuttles from Coromandel town link each end of the 4 hour one way trek.

Historic Coromandel township

Coromandel township is full of history from the early gold mining and logging days. Set on a natural harbour, the town was named after the ship H.M.S Coromandel, which called here in 1820 to collect kauri logs to make spars for the British Royal Navy. A gold strike in the late 1860s saw the town's population shoot up to 10,000.

Today Coromandel is a quiet town offering a variety of accommodation, craft shops and cafe. For the traveller, it makes a great base for local beach and forest explorations.

To the south, a track off 309 Road leads to a popular swimming hole surrounded by beautiful native forest. Further up the road, another trail takes you to a grove of large kauri - one of the original stands on the peninsula. The grove contains two ancient kauri trees that are fused together towards the base.

Back in the township, a path next to 356 Wharf Rd leads you to the beginning of the Kauri Block Walk. The trail leads up to an old Maori pa (fortress) site, which provides spectacular 360-degree views of the Coromandel Ranges, offshore islands and the township. The trail then continues along a ridge through regenerating forest and native plantings until it emerges at Harbour View Road.

North of Coromandel, a walking track in the Papa Aroha Scenic Reserve meanders through a typical coastal native forest of puriri, kohekohe and pohutukawa before emerging onto an attractive swimming beach.

Colville and beyond

In pioneering days, Colville was a busy timber milling town. Then in the 1970s it became a magnet for hippies drawn to the natural beauty and isolation of the area. Today Colville is a quiet country town serving a local community of farmers and artists.

North of Colville, the road winds along the western shoreline where the Moehau Range (Sleeping Wind) rises steeply from the sea. At the western tip of the peninsula, Port Jackson (Poihakene) is a long, spacious beach that is popular for camping and fishing. Fletcher Bay, situated at the north-east tip of the peninsula, is rich with legends of shipwrecks, mariners, gold and gum digging. Between them, Cape Colville looks out on the Watchman as well as Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands. You need to return south to Colville Bay and cross the range to the eastern side to explore Port Charles, Waikauwau Bay and Kennedy Bay.

Most of the bays have tent camping sites. The farm park camp site at Waikawau Bay, for example, has access to a sweeping sandy beach. The beach is good for swimming, diving and fishing. In the breeding season it is home to New Zealand dotterel and variable oystercatcher birds.

There are several walkways in the area north of Colville, ranging from 20-minute strolls to half-day hikes.