Living the van life in a dreamy place! I’m taking you for a 4 days roadtrip on the Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand, and give you all the tips and tricks to make the most of this amazing place…
After our first encounter with New Zealand and getting used to the local way of life in Raglan, and our second post about the life in New Zealand bigger cities, it is time to go on the road to discover the Coromandel Peninsula, on the Eastern Coast of the Northern Island.
From amazing scenery, natural hot springs, great beaches and activities for the outdoorsy among you, this is definitely a place you should visit.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
Introduction
After having settled down and got used to the jet lag, the stopover in San Francisco helped a lot btw, we went on a 4 days/3 nights roadtrip with my cousin and his van.
It was an opportunity to try out the van life that many tourists love.
As accommodation is (very) expensive, especially during the high season, many tourists rent or buy a camper van. And then they sell it at the end of their stay in New Zealand. It is an option to keep the costs to a minimum.
Yet, bearing in mind that most of the best camping sites are not free, you’ll have at some point to book a night in a camper site.
So traveling on a budget during high season can be challenging/frustrating if you cannot afford it every now and then.
However, since it is such a widely spread way of traveling the country, there are several apps/websites you can use to find out free camper sites: Rankers Camping NZ, WikiCamps, Campermate, etc. (more info here).
Note for the reader, when it comes to wild camping, especially in protected/native lands, the enforcement by local is very strict and fines quite hefty. Additionally, if your camper/van is not self-contained, you will not have access to certain camper sites.
So make sure to carefully do your research before setting up your camp for the night.
And note for the reader, click the pictures to enlarge.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
Discovering the Coromandel Peninsula
Following my cousin’s advice, we decided to head off towards the Coromondel Peninsula, located on the Eastern Part of the Northern Island.
For two reasons. The first being that it was easily accessible from Raglan. At least for New Zealand standards. The second because there were many top notch sights: Rotorua, Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove Beach, Whitianga, etc.
So on March 1st, after packing and loading the van, we took off in the night for a great adventure.
We had not planed anything specific, so we adjusted the stops according to our mood.
First stop: Rotorua
And so we stopped in Rotorua for our first night. Since we were already late, we had to take the last available on a free site. More exactly on the parking lot right in front of the Rotorua Yacht Club. Not the fanciest place I concede. But the view for the breakfast wasn’t too shabby 😉
And right next to it, you have public toilets that were clean, at least early in the morning. After that, you have a lot of homeless people in the area and I cannot guarantee it stays the same. Not blaming anyone of anything, don’t get me wrong.
Rotorua boasts many different interesting sights, that’s a fact.
But the city also has a large section of its ‘population’ who are homeless and/or addicted to various substances. This tends to increase a certain level of crime: theft, petty crime, violence, etc..
So make sure not to leave any valuable things in your car/van, or even things in plain sight.
Last but not least, there is also a Waka on display, a traditional Maori Canoe.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
What to do in Rotorua?
Note for the reader, I will give you a few more pointers about Rotorua in a later blog posts. Because we only stopped for the night and then headed to the Redwood Forest. But I also made a stop over at the end of my road trip around Mont Taranaki. I’ll add the link when it’s done.
But as for now, if you’re planing to go to Rotorua, you might be tempting to go to the Polynesian Spa, one of Rotorua’s most popular place to visit. As a matter of fact, the region is also very known for its thermal hot springs.
Now if you want my honest opinion, you can easily avoid that and go to Karosene Creek (more on this later). It was super crowded, over-priced and if you on top don’t want to pay to access a private section (time limited), then it’s not worth it.
Fancy some mountain biking?
The region is also a great place for the outdoorsy people. And there are tons of activities to choose from. We personally had our bikes with us and decided to go for a ride in one of the many trails in the Redwood forest near-by. You have several trails you can choose from, depending on your fitness and skills.
We did a 30km loop-trail in the forest, in the midst of huge sequoias. It was really a treat. The loop is suitable for all type of people as long as you feel comfortable on a bike. You just have to adapt your pace.
Just make sure to have enough water with you as there are not tons of water fountains along the way. And at the end, you’ll have the option to fuel up with a burger or something to your liking.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
After that, we felt like taking a dip to rinse off the sweat and relax our soared muscles.
So we headed towards a “secret” spot, known among the locals. Called Karosene Creek, this spot boasts several natural pools along a river with a little water fall. Very nice, despite the very intense smell of sulfur, often caratheristic of geothermal activities. Something I had witnessed in Iceland as well. And despite the white foam that powdered the river, particularly around the edges.
The water being quite hot, you won’t stay for hours. But bearing in mind this is totally free, definitely worth the detour
Night 2: hot water beach
After having fueled our stomach and relaxed our bodies, it was slowly time to decide where we wanted to go for the second night.
After a quick planning on the map, we decided for Hot Water Beach. Also one of New Zealand’s wonders.
After a quick stopover in Whangamata (pronounced Fangamata), to get some groceries for the night, we arrived in the early evening at the camping site. Traveling after the Summer high season, it was easy(er) to find a spot last minute. During high season, it wouldn’t have been impossible.
But we were lucky and they had availability (more info here).
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
As we were already late, we didn’t use much of their facilities. But they had a fully equipped kitchen, warm showers and a laundry in case you need it.
As mentioned in a previous post, most of the motels/camping sites have small laundry automats on permises, which is super handy. It means you do not need to pack a lot when visiting New Zealand. You can wash along the way.
Choose functional clothing, if possible that can be worn in several seasons, and layer up in cooler weather. And you’re done!
I will do a post about the kind of things I pack when I travel.
After a tasty dinner, cooked by your two very owns, we aimed for the beach to watch the moon rise and have a beer or two 😉
A treat from mother nature
5am in the morning! The wake up is not the easiest but we have a good reason to rise and shine this early.
As the name mention it, Hot Water Beach is a very special place. Twice a day, when the tide is at the lowest, people, like little ants, rush to the beach with shovels in their arms. Once on the beach, they head for a very specific spot. There’s a hot spring in the cliffs that runs down to the sea.
Armed with their shovels, the pilgrims dig cavities in the sand to retain the hot water in natural mini-pools.
All that’s left to do then is dive in and enjoy the warm water, which contrasts with the coolness of the rising sun.
This is followed by the almost mystical spectacle of daybreak over the ocean. What a magical moment.
A once in a lifetime kind of experience, that I truly wish you to discover!
Click the image below to get some insights.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
Heading to Cathedral Cove
Around 7am, the tide was rising and the ocean water engulfed our mini-pool. So it was time to head back to the camping site, take a shower, eat our breakfast and decide of our program for the day.
There were tons of things to see, and narrowing down was a tough task. However, we decided for Te Whanganui-A-Hei, also known as Cathedral Cove beach for our first stop of the day. This place, located in Hahei, offers several points of interest.
Cathedral Cove is named for the natural arch located there, linking Mare’s Leg Cove to Cathedral Cove. Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay are also located within the reserve. There is a track leading from the north of Hahei Beach to this point. It is also possible to walk from the town hall car park to the headland between Hahei and Gemstone Bay.
However, when we were there, Part of the cliff had collapsed. As a result, it was impossible to access the cove from the beach. You either had to hire a canoe or pay for a water taxi to go there and back. And since we didn’t feel like doing either, we just had aeropress coffee on the beach. Also worth it 😉
Matarangi – Whitianga – Thames
After our little morning coffee session, we took the road and headed towards Matarangi.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
Our plan was to make a little hike, called Matarangi Bluff Track.
Despite not being the greatest nor the most challenging hikes I’ve done, it boasts several lookout views over the Matarangi peninsula. You have several tracks you can follow, depending on the length you want to walk.
We personally were already late, i.e. lunch time, and the sun was starting to beat down hard. So we opted for a slightly shorter version, around a 90min loop-walk. Plenty enough to get some views…
After a picnic lunch break and a little nap on the beach in Marangati, it was time to take the road again.
We picked Coromandel town as our final destination for the day. But first, we made a pit stop in Whitianga for the daily grocery shopping.
A little north from Coromandel town, we found a camping site called Long Bay Motor Camp. Not as nice as the one in hot water beach, but it was cheap and located on the water front.
We also picked a spot at the far end of the camping site, with only 3 other vans. So it felt a bit like we were on our own.
We set up the camp for the night, just in time for the sunset.
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand
Also, being far away from all the other guests meant that we had very little light pollution. And that’s the outcome of that.
What a treat…
The night was super windy, so we didn’t have the best sleep ever. After my traditional breakfast, Crème Budwig if you’re familiar with that, we planed the program for the day.
My cousin didn’t want to arrive too late back home, as the kids were missing him and we had to unpack/unload the van. On top, the weather was changing and they were forecasting rain for the day.
So we opted for a stopover at the Karangahake Historic site.
It is an historic Park with hiking trails leading to the remains of gold mine tunnels and railway lines. As it might be quite nice when the weather is nice, rain started to poor. So we didn’t stay long.
We ended our adventure with a tasty lunch at the Rafinery in Paeroa.
I hope you liked this little adventure and that the tips and tricks I’ve provided will be some sort of any use to you, should you decide to also visit the Coromandel Peninsula.
Stay tuned for the next adventure, since time on the Southern Island!
Thanks as usual for stoping buy and taking the time to read and/or look at the picture.
Un abrazo grande!
Your devoted!
Roadtrip Coromandel New Zealand