Oct 10, 2025 Coromandel Town
Road trip! North up the west side of the peninsula to the town of Coromandel, once a hub of the gold mining boom of the 1860’s-70’s that ultimately was abandoned in the 1930’s, east across the mountainous peninsula on a gravel road to Coroglen, then back west over the mountains on another gravel road! 71.5 miles with a waterfall, Kauri groves, fabulous views and quiet hikes in the forest.
The colorful town of Coromandel. The peninsula was a hippy haven in the 1970’s and has become an upscale vacation home destination for wealthy Kiwis with an environmental conservation ethic.
Waiau Falls, a tranquil stop along remote road 309.
The siamese twin Kauri, two trees that grew together and somehow avoided the logger’s axe and saw.
A lone kauri towering over the forest across a ravine from the road.
‘The square kauri’, estimated to be 1200 years old is just meters from the gravel road. A steep, 187 steps trail leads up to the viewing platform next to the trunk, with the huge canopy another 144 feet up!