Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
www.greensnapper.co.nz
; 2312 Colville Rd; mains $13-22; 8am-3pm daily, 6-10pm Fri)
, which
does great wood-fired pizza on Friday nights, and the quaint
Colville General Store
(
07-866 6805; Colville Rd; 8.30am-5pm)
, selling everything from organic food to petrol
(warning: this is your last option for either).
Three kilometres north of Colville the sealed road turns to gravel and splits to straddle
each side of the peninsula. Following the west coast, ancient pohutukawa spread over-
head as you pass turquoise waters and stony beaches. The small DOC-run
Fantail Bay
campsite
(adult/child $9.20/2)
, 23km north of Colville, has running water and a couple
of long-drop toilets under the shade of puriri trees. Another 7km brings you to the
Port
Jackson campsite
(adult/child $9.20/2)
, a larger DOC site right on the beach.
There's a spectacular lookout about 4km further on, where a metal dish identifies the
various islands on the horizon. Great Barrier Island is only 20km away, looking every
part the extension of the Coromandel Peninsula that it once was.
The road stops at
Fletcher Bay
- a magical land's end. Although it's only 37km from
Colville, allow an hour for the drive. There's another
DOC campsite
(adult/child $10/5)
simple affair with four rooms with four bunks in each. Bring sheets and food.
The
Coromandel Coastal Walkway
is a scenic, 3½-hour one-way hike between
Fletcher Bay and
Stony Bay
. It's a relatively easy walk with great coastal views and an
ambling section across farmland. If you're not keen on walking all the way back,
Coro-
drive you from Coromandel Town up to Fletcher Bay and pick you up from Stony Bay
four hours later.
At Stony Bay, where the east-coast road terminates, there's another
DOC campsite
(adult/child $10/5)
and a small DOC-run bach (holiday home) that sleeps five ($77).
Heading south there are a couple of nice beaches peppered with baches on the way to the
slightly larger settlement of
Port Charles
.
Tangiaro Kiwi Retreat
( 07-866 6614;
www.kiwiretreat.co.nz
; 1299 Port Charles Rd; units
$220-350; )
offers eight very comfortable one- or two-bedroom self-contained wooden
cottages. There's a bush-fringed spa, an in-house masseuse ($70 per hour) and, in sum-
mer, a cafe and licensed restaurant.
Another 8km brings you to the turn-off leading back to Colville, or you can continue
south to
Waikawau Bay
, where there's a large
DOC campsite
( 07-866 1106; adult/child
$10/5)
which has a summer-only store. The road then winds its way south past
Kennedy
Bay
before cutting back to come out near the Driving Creek Railway.
Book DOC campsites at
www.doc.govt.nz
.
