Location
A forested 60+ mile peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island which is a popular holiday destination for Aucklanders. With many sandy beaches, safe harbours and several geo-thermal springs, Coromandel is a vibrant place to visit. In the past many mines were established in the area and the largest gold mine in New Zealand is still to be found in South Coromandel.
These images were taken in 2014 at sunset at Coromandel Town Harbour at the end of an exceptionally wet day.
Context:
The Coromandel Peninsula is a hilly promontory in New Zealand, North Island, that runs northward into the Pacific Ocean and includes the Coromandel Forest Park that begins at Waihi in the south to Cape Colville at its northern extremity. The dimensions of the Coromandel Peninsula comprise a N/S distance of 70 miles and at the widest point the W/E distance is 35 miles. The Hauraki Gulf separates Coromandel Harbour from Auckland (to the west) at a distance of 70 miles, and although it is possible to cross by a ferry, this is a passenger ferry service only.
Coromandel Forest Park is steep and hilly, running the entire length of the peninsula and covered by temperate rainforest. On the western coast the road runs from Thames to Coromandel town before crossing to the eastern side at Waitaia Bay. The end of the peninsula at Colville point is still 25 miles (N) distant from Coromandel town and although the first 11 miles are surfaced the remaining 14 miles is a dirt track. Once Coromandel is left behind the area northward becomes very remote and isolated. The popular areas of Coromandel are to be found on state highway 25 running from Thames to Coromandel to Whitianga to Whangamata to Waihi.
The state highway follows the coast in a circular route around the area. Principal population centres are all on the coast but are modest in size; only 5 communities comprise more than 1000 persons. The East Coast has many fine beaches, a popular venue for yachting at Whitianga, scuba diving around the many small islands and also a very distinctive coastline with unusual rock formations. Even at one location, the Hot Water Beach (geothermal), enables visitors to make their own hot tubs! (At least until the tide comes in…). The West coastline is equally interesting, with smaller, less developed beaches and visitor centres, inland there are access points along narrow dirt tracks, some of which actually cross over between east and west coasts. In practice these routes are slow, as well as difficult and if driving a hire car are specifically “no go” options.
Historically Coromandel was an area where timber from the forests was used for shipbuilding. In the main the Kauri trees were exploited for their excellent tensile qualities and durability. Kauri trees are one of the longest-living tree species, with up to 1,000 years lifespan. In addition, these are also exceptionally large trees: the Tane Mahuta tree is 52m with a 4.6 m diameter trunk, at the base and is recognised as the tallest Kauri tree standing at the present time. Early European settlers felled many trees for marine purposes; the Kauri wood is very hard and has great resistance to sea water. Also, the tree produces an excellent resinous gum that can be found in the vicinity of trees, or in some cases the trees were “bled” to enable the gum to be collected, much as is done with rubber trees. Kauri gum has been used for waterproofing, for a linoneum flooring sealant and for ornamental carvings such as jewellery. By the early 20th Century most of the Kauri forests had been felled and only small pockets of Kauri trees can be seen today.
The main resource that has been exploited in the southern Coromandel Peninsula is Gold and throughout the region bounded by Thames, Whakamata, Waihi and Paeroa many examples of mining operations are to be seen. Many of these mines were very significant and by the 1980s had become worked out, however, operations continue in this region and the largest operational mines are today located at Waihi. The Oceana Gold operation, for example, at Waihi operates the Martha open pit (1987), Favona Mine (2006), Trio Mine (2011) and the Correnso Mine (2013). The dates are the point at which production started. The Martha project was the first hard rock mining operation to be started in New Zealand since the late 1970s, the Favona Mine has now completed the production phase.
Coromandel is a unique place to visit, so close to major New Zealand population centres such as Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga yet so distinctly separate. It is a beautiful area and provides a leisure centre for the many visitors. There are many holiday homes that are used by Aucklanders, especially through the Christmas period, which occurs in midsummer. It is easy to visit North Island and overlook Coromandel but in both our visits to New Zealand we have spent time in Coromandel and have enjoyed our time there even during a very wet episode.
Rick Spurgeon, 10-Jan-2021
Coromandel Contact Sheet for Reference:
