Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
Coromandel Town Information Centre
(
07-866 8598;
www.coromandeltown.co.nz
; 85
Kapanga Rd;
10am-4pm)
Getting There & Away
The best way to Coromandel Town from Auckland is on a 360 Discovery (
Click here
)
0800 446 549;
www.go-kiwi.co.nz
)
buses.
SENSIBLE CYCLISTS' LEAPFROG
There's no charge for carrying your bike on a 360 Discovery (
Click here
)
ferry.
Touring cyclists can avoid Auckland's traffic fumes and treacherous roads com-
pletely by catching the ferry at Gulf Harbour (north of Auckland) to Auckland's
ferry terminal, and then leapfrogging directly to Coromandel Town.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Far North Coromandel
Supremely isolated and gobsmackingly beautiful, the rugged tip of the Coromandel Pen-
insula is well worth the effort required to reach it. The best time to visit is summer, when
the gravel roads are dry, the pohutukawa trees are in their crimson glory and camping's
an option (there isn't much accommodation up here).
Colville Rd; campsites/units from $12/75, dm/s/d $25/38/76; )
has accommodation in-
cluding bare-basics bush lodges and self-contained houses. Guests can try their hands at
farm work (including milking) or go on horse treks ($40 to $150, one to five hours).
s/tw $15/28/45/70)
is a serene Tibetan Buddhist retreat with a stupa, a meditation hall and
regular meditation courses. The simple accommodation is in a parklike setting.
Another kilometre on is the tiny settlement of
Colville
(25km north of Coromandel
Town). It's a remote rural community by a muddy bay and a magnet for alternative life-
stylers. There's not much here except for the
Green Snapper Cafe
(
07-866 6697;
