Auckland to Coromandel road trip: complete guide

If you’re wanting to spend a few days bumming around the best beach towns in New Zealand, look no further than an Auckland to Coromandel road trip! This journey is the perfect way to see some of the country’s most famous sights including Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach and Whangamata Beach.

Use our 7-day Auckland to Coromandel road trip guide to plan your travels. It can be modified to suit the number of days you have available and includes all the best sightseeing and camping spots. Plus, we’ve thrown in a heap of extra information like drive times, distances, the best season to travel and much more!

Best Auckland to Coromandel road trip: 7 places you can’t miss

Total Distance: 556 km | Recommended Days: from 3 - 7 days | Best Time to Visit: Summer | Route on Google Maps

1.

New Zealand’s largest city is jam-packed with some of the top-rated tourist destinations in the country. If you’re not from Auckland, be sure to devote a day or two to exploring the city streets and visiting the main attractions.

Kick things off with a must-do - riding the 220m elevator to the top of the iconic Sky Tower. From the viewing area, you can enjoy full 360-degree views up to 80km in every direction. One of the islands you can see in the near distance is Waiheke Island, your next sightseeing stop. Take a 45-minute ferry ride out to the island and drive around its many vineyards and art galleries before watching the sunset on a secluded beach.

Stay at the Piha Domain Motor Camp, an hour west of Auckland on the black sands of Piha Beach. This top-rated holiday park has beachfront access with powered sites starting at about $44 per night.

2. Kaiaua Beach

Drive Time: 1 hr 20 min | Distance: 84 km

Kick-off your Auckland to Coromandel road trip with a visit to Kaiaua Beach, a sleepy seaside village on the edge of the Firth of Thames. Take a leisurely stroll along the beachfront and enjoy some of the best fish and chips in the country from the legendary Kaiaua Fish and Chip shop.

Stay at the Miranda Holiday Park, voted the # 1 holiday park on the Coromandel Peninsula. The best part about this park is that it includes free access to hot thermal mineral pools which sit at between 36°C and 39°C. You can soak here for hours as there’s partial shade protection and a relaxing waterfall nearby.

Powered and unpowered sites at the Miranda Holiday Park start at about $29 per night and facilities include free hot showers, a kitchen block, a TV lounge and more.

3. Thames

Drive Time: 35 min | Distance: 44 km

Thames is the gateway to the Coromandel and boasts an array of awesome outdoor activities. But besides being a coastal retreat, Thames is also a historic town that was founded to support gold mining in the 1860s. You can learn about the town’s mining history by visiting the well-preserved School of Mines or take a tour and try your luck at gold panning at the Thames Goldmine Experience.

Set aside some time to hire a bike and ride part of the Hauraki Rail Trail, an easy 197km cycle trail that traces an old railway along the Shorebird Coast. From Thames, you can follow the trail back toward Kaiaua through coastal wetlands and lush farmlands. Alternatively, you can ride towards Paeroa, past the Matatoki Cheese Barn and the Historical Maritime Park. Both routes are easy and you can turn around at any time!

Stay at Te Puru Holiday Park and choose from a range of grass or hard powered sites starting at about $24 per night. There’s a heap of awesome facilities including free barbecues, three separate toilet blocks and a centrally located hot shower block (50c for 5 minutes).

4. Coromandel

Drive Time: 1 hr | Distance: 54 km

It’s not hard to see why Coromandel is one of New Zealand’s most popular holiday destinations. You could easily spend two or three days here relaxing and exploring its 400km expanse of pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, misty mountain forests and laid back villages.

Whilst in Coromandel, be sure to ride the Driving Creek Railway - a 1-hour return journey on a narrow-gauge mountain train through the mountainous forests around the Coromandel Peninsula. From the ‘Eyeful Tower’ viewing platform at the top of the mountain, you get panoramic views over Coromandel Town and the Peninsula beyond. But remember, bookings are essential!

If you want a beachfront camping spot, stay at Shelly Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, where unpowered and powered campsites start at about $18 per night. Facilities include modern bathroom blocks, communal kitchen, TV lounge and more.

5. Waikawau

Drive Time: 50 min | Distance: 41 km

On the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula sits Waikawau, a DOC Campsite on the edge of the pristine Waikawau Bay. Spend a day relaxing on the white sand beach or try your hand at fishing or kayaking. This place is perfect for families with small kids due to its shallow swimming estuaries.

Waikawau has space for 660 campers but bookings are essential and need to be completed online before arrival. There are three camping zones: unpowered beachfront camping, unpowered paddock camping and the main powered campsite. Unpowered sites start at about $15 per night whilst powered sites start at about $18 per night.

Be aware that the amenities are basic and only include cold showers, drop-toilets and tap-water. There’s also a small shop on-site which is run by volunteers during the summer period.

6. Whitianga

Drive Time: 1 hr 30 min | Distance: 73 km

Whitianga is one of the major tourist towns on the Coromandel Peninsula and the main town on Mercury Bay. Historically, this town was a timber port that would load European ships with local kauri. Today, however, the town is renowned for its geological attractions and annual Whitianga Scallop Festival each September.

The best place to park when exploring the local attractions is Hahei visitor car park. From here, it’s an easy walk down to the sandy beaches of Mercury Bay and the famous Cathedral Cove. From here, you can then either walk or drive to the equally-famous Hot Water Beach, where visitors can dig their own sand spa and soak in the warm spring water that bubbles up to the surface.

Stay directly opposite the harbour at the Harbourside Holiday Park. It’s only a minutes’ walk away from a little sandy beach which is perfect for swimming and about 450m from the town centre. There’s a range of powered and unpowered camping sites starting at about $20 per night, including access to the large outdoor swimming pool.

7. Whangamata

Drive Time: 1 hr 10 min | Distance: 76 km

Finish your Auckland to Coromandel road trip in Whangamata, a seaside surf town nestled between native forest and the Bay of Plenty. Tourists flock here in summer to make the most of the 4km-long Whangamata Beach, home to some of the best surf breaks in the country. For those who prefer their surf a little smaller, you can swim in the calm waters of Whangamata Harbour or nearby Onemana Beach.

One of the best ways to explore the Coromandel Forest Park around Whangamata is via the Wentworth Falls walk. This well-maintained 2.5km track is easy for people of all fitness levels and it takes about 3-hours to complete the return loop. Along the way, you’ll walk through native forest, cross a river twice (only ankle-deep) and peek into abandoned gold mines before arriving at the summit for breathtaking views over the falls.

Stay at the Whangamata Motor Camp, conveniently located 150m from both the beach and the town centre. There's a range of affordable camping options on offer and the facilities are clean and well-maintained.

8. Return to Auckland

Drive Time: 2 hr 25 min | Distance: 174 km

The best part about an Auckland to Coromandel road trip is that you can return to the start in only a matter of hours. Head back via State Highway 1 and 2 and you’ll be back in Auckland in no time!

Organise your Auckland to Coromandel road trip with Camplify

Now that you’ve got your Auckland to Coromandel road trip itinerary sorted, it’s time to start organising the finer details that’ll guarantee a great vacation!

Need to arrange motorhome hire in Auckland? Camplify is a platform that allows travellers to quickly search through privately-owned rentals. Simply enter your pickup location and budget and within seconds, you can find the perfect motorhome, caravan or campervan for your road trip!

Why Camplify?

We are proud to be New Zealand’s fastest-growing private caravan, campervan and motorhome sharing community. When you hire a van through our platform, it comes with lots of advantages:

• Comprehensive hire insurance

• Nationwide AA roadside assistance

• 24/7 customer support

• All members are verified

By hiring with Camplify, you are also helping local families who share their van on our platform and supporting many local companies across NZ in addition to ours. So we are very grateful to you.

Sign up if you want to join our beloved community of van life lovers and receive our most recent news and offers.