Coromandel Backpackers & Hostels

Dominated by a large forest park and famous for its pretty coastal resorts, the Coromandel Peninsula is blessed by its sub-tropical climate, long sunny days and no rainy seasons, making it a huge all-year round attraction.

As popular as it is with holidaying Kiwis as it is backpackers and overseas visitors, the diverse terrain offers a microcosm of New Zealand in one region, shifting effortlessly between the dense forestry of Coromandel Forest Park, the golden beaches along the Firth of Thames shoreline, and the spectacular cliffs overlooking Mercury Bay. This changing landscape has ensured it remains a quiet outpost on the North Island, protected by nature from the hoi polloi of Auckland and Hamilton, and its hinterland canopy offering retreat and seclusion.

The idyll of Coromandel takes many forms – quiet beaches and secret coves, stunning coastal paths, island wildlife sanctuaries, and hot outdoor pools. Nor is for the fainthearted, with canyoning, waterfall abseiling, and climbing the precarious but majestic Pinnacles overlooking the Kaueranga Valley below. And if you’re feeling particularly flush, Mercury Island eight kilometres off the east coast is a millionaire’s haven, having hosted Bono, Kim Jong Un, and David Hasselhoff. A snip at £20,000 per night.

Coromandel Town

Rich in Maori heritage and gold rush history, Coromandel Town is the most popular destination in the region. It can be reached by a direct ferry by Auckland, crossing the calm Hauraki Gulf, but for a more thorough immersion in the look and feel of Coromandel a drive up the coast along Highway 25 will allow you to stop and enjoy the beaches at one of the little villages which break up the drive.

The town itself enjoys a very laid back and quite bohemian feel to it, popular with artists drawn to the scenery and seclusion, and host to many independent galleries. It is charming and unashamedly old-fashioned, with unspoilt Victorian colonial architecture dominating the streets, which complements the untouched nature of the entire region. Welcoming to backpackers, you’ll find plenty of accommodation overlooking Macgregor Bay and Long Bay. As you would expect, the restaurants in town specialise in seafood, cooked to a standard to rival any top international restaurant.

Whitianga

Brave trampers will make their way to Whitianga using the famous 309 Road from Coromandel Town. An historic route dating back to the gold rush, this track connects the two coasts, passing through such arresting spectacles as the Waiau Falls and unmolested Kauri forests. Originally a timber port, Whitiangi has retained its harbour town character, built tastefully back and up from the waterside, allowing visitors to enjoy all its amenities whilst taking in the rarefied air breezing in from Mercury Bay.

Travellers familiar with the harbour town of Lyttleton just outside Christchurch on the South Island will see similarities in Whitianga - little independent book shops, bric-a-brac hole in the walls, and coffee houses all have precedence over chain store multinational, demonstrative of a town fiercely proud of its character. Indeed, another microcosm of the wider character of New Zealand, much like Coromandel in general.