Road Trip Around the Coromandel

With a few days off work, I decided to check out the Coromandel Peninsula. So many people–Kiwis and foreigners alike–have raved about the beauty of this part of New Zealand. I was not let down. I went on some serene walks in the area, swam at some pristine beaches, and the scenery was the perfect backdrop for the winding roads. One of the best parts of my trip to the Coromandel was that there were so few people around and so I felt like I had it all to myself.

Cormandel Penninsula — Google Maps knows where the Coromandel Peninsula is, now you do too.

It was about a two hour drive from my house to get to the base of the Peninsula. I stopped at an old mine to do some walking around. Much of the old infrastructure (tracks, tunnels, and bridges) are still around and made for some fun exploring.

A closer look at one of the old bridges

Let’s try funny faces

Dark and scary old tunnels

Bridge (likely use to cross the river)

Old railway tracks

After that, I drove up the West Coast of the Peninsula to Coromandel town. It was hard to not stop every five minutes for pictures because the scenery was so stunning.

Views from my car

It’s so pretty

Let’s try a pano

Outside Coromandel Town

Coromandel green-lipped mussels are good for your muscles

I had some famous Coromandel green-lipped mussels for dinner that night. These mussels are much bigger than “normal” mussels, but I didn’t know that when I was ordering and ended up eating way too much.

The next day I circled down the East Coast. The morning started off in thick fog and rain, but that eventually cleared up and revealed a stunning coastline. Some people say that this is the “more” beautiful coast, but I honestly thought they were both spectacular (or maybe I have a bit of West Coast bias in me…). Here are some pictures for you to decide.