Must-see attractions in Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

  • Kawhia Regional Museum & Gallery

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Kāwhia's modest waterside museum has local history, nautical and Māori art and artefacts, as well as regular art exhibitions. Don't miss the huge fossil…

  • Raurimu Spiral

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    The Raurimu Spiral, 30km south of town, is a unique feat of railway engineering that was completed in 1908 after 10 years of work. Rail buffs can…

  • Ocean Beach

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Four kilometres west of Kāwhia is Ocean Beach and its high, black-sand dunes. Swimming can be dangerous, but one to two hours either side of low tide you…

  • Firth Tower

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Firth Tower was built by Auckland businessman Josiah Firth in 1882. The 18m concrete tower was then a fashionable status symbol; now it’s filled with…

  • Hakiaha Street

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    At the street’s eastern end is Hauaroa Whare, a beautifully carved house. At the western end, Te Rohe Potae memorialises King Tawhiao’s assertion of his…

  • Tainui Historical Society Museum

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Mōkau's interesting Tainui Historical Society Museum has old photographs and artefacts from when this once-isolated outpost was a coal and lumber shipping…

  • Victoria Battery Tramway & Museum

    Coromandel Peninsula

    Across the river from the Waikino train station, the Victoria Battery Tramway & Museum is the former site of the biggest quartz-ore processing plant in…

  • Wairere Falls

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    About 15km northeast of Matamata are the spectacular 153m Wairere Falls, the highest on the North Island. From the car park it’s a 45-minute walk through…

  • Waihi Arts Centre & Museum

    Coromandel Peninsula

    The Waihi Arts Centre & Musuem has an art gallery and displays focusing on the region’s gold-mining history. Prepare to squirm before the collection of…

  • Opapake Pa

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Near Waitomo Adventures, a steep 20-minute walk leads through bush then along farmland to the abandoned Opapake Pa, where terraces and kumara pits are…

  • Te Aroha Museum

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    In the town’s ornate former thermal sanatorium (aka the ‘Treasure of Te Aroha’). Displays include quirky ceramics, old spa-water bottles, historical…

  • Te Kuititanga-O-Nga-Whakaaro

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Te Kuititanga-O-Nga-Whakaaro is a beautiful pavilion of etched-glass, tukutuku (woven flax panels) and wooden carvings that celebrates the town’s history.

  • Rose Garden

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    The Rose Garden has 2500 bushes and 51 varieties with fabulously fruity names such as Lady Gay and Sexy Rexy. The roses usually bloom from November to May.

  • Paeroa Museum

    Coromandel Peninsula

    This small museum has a grand selection of Royal Albert porcelain and other pioneer and Māori artefacts – look in the drawers.

  • Mercury Bay Museum

    Coromandel Peninsula

    A small but interesting museum focusing on local history – especially Whitianga’s most famous visitors, Kupe and Cook.

  • Big Shearer

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    The 7m-high, 7.5-tonne Big Shearer statue is at the southern end of town.

  • Ruapuke Beach

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Whale Bay marks the end of the sealed road, but a gravel road continues to the wild spans of Ruapuke Beach, 22km from Raglan. It’s dangerous for swimmers…

  • Rangiriri Heritage Centre

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    The Rangiriri Heritage Centre screens a short documentary about the battle of Rangiriri. There’s also a small museum and a cafe with good home baking.

  • Māori War & Early Settlers Cemetery

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    The Māori War & Early Settlers Cemetery houses the soldiers’ graves and a mound covering the mass grave of 36 Māori warriors.

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