Winter Coromandel Road Trip: 7 Days of Cosy Coastal Bliss - Britz

Six nights and 515 kilometres in a loop from Auckland in a campervan, round the Coromandel Peninsula, planned for the winter months.

Thames comes first at the foot of the peninsula, a gold town with the shafts still in the hills behind it, then Coromandel Town up the western side on a road that runs along the Firth of Thames with pohutukawa leaning over the water.

Whitianga and Hot Water Beach follow on the eastern side, the latter with a hot spring rising under the sand for two hours either side of low tide, which visitors dig their own pools in, and Cathedral Cove nearby, a limestone arch on a beach reached on foot or by water taxi. The Karangahake Gorge comes next on the way south, where an old rail formation runs above the river through a lit tunnel most of a kilometre long, then Waihi Beach before the return north.

Britz supply the camper and the day-by-day plan, and the hire is priced live per vehicle rather than per person; campsites, fuel, ferries, park fees and activities are all extra, with a nil-excess insurance pack available at booking. Seven days for 515 kilometres is a slow pace, which winter suits: the campsites are empty, the holiday traffic is gone and the Coromandel is mild enough that the beaches still work on a clear day. Hot Water Beach runs to the tide table rather than the forecast, so the timing is worth looking up in advance. Cathedral Cove access has been affected by storm damage in recent years and is worth checking before relying on it. Winter is also when a camper is most useful here, since much of the peninsula’s accommodation shuts for the season.