- This article is about the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. For the similarly named region in India, see Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island It is part of the Waikato region and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the east. History According to local Māori traditions, the Bay of Plenty was the landing point of several migration canoes that brought Māori settlers to New Zealand The Hauraki Gulf is a Coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. The Firth of Thames is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions At its broadest point, it is 40 kilometres wide. Almost the entire population lies on the narrow strips along the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty coasts. The Hauraki Gulf is a Coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. History According to local Māori traditions, the Bay of Plenty was the landing point of several migration canoes that brought Māori settlers to New Zealand The country's biggest city, Auckland, lies on the far shore of the Hauraki Gulf, 55 kilometres to the west. The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country The peninsula is clearly visible from the city in fine winter weather.
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Geography
The peninsula is steep and hilly, and is largely covered in subtropical rain forest. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches
The Coromandel Range forms a spine for the peninsula rising to nearly 900 metres, and the large island of Great Barrier, which lies beyond the northern tip, can be thought of as an extension of the range. Coromandel Range is a ridge of rugged hills running the length of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. Great Barrier Island (often colloquially just The Barrier) is a large Island of New Zealand, situated 100 km to the north-east of central Great Barrier is separated from Cape Colville on the peninsula's northern coast by the Colville Channel. Cape Colville is the northernmost point of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand 's North Island. The Colville Channel is one of three channels connecting the Hauraki Gulf with the Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Auckland, New Zealand.
Although the peninsula is close to large centres of population such as Auckland to the west and Tauranga to the southeast, its rugged nature means that much of it is relatively isolated, and the interior and northern tip are both largely undeveloped and sparsely inhabited. The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country for the electorate see Tauranga (NZ electorate Tauranga (population 114500 2007 estimate after status was lost after 1989 Local A forest park covers much of the peninsula's interior.
Numerous small islands and island groups lie offshore, such as the Motukawao Islands to the northwest, the Alderman Islands and Slipper Island to the southeast, and the Mercury Islands to the northeast. The Motukawao Islands are the northernmost of several small groups of islands that lie in the Hauraki Gulf off the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, The Alderman Islands are a small group of rocky islets to the southeast of Mercury Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. Slipper Island or (Whakahau in Māori is located three kilometres to the east of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand 's North Island and eight kilometres The Mercury Islands lie off the northeast coast of New Zealand 's North Island.
The peninsula shows considerable signs of previous vulcanism. It comprises the eroded remnants of the Coromandel Volcanic Zone, which was active during the Miocene and Pliocene. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends Volcanic activity has since shifted southeast to the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The Taupo Volcanic Zone is a highly active volcanic area in the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is also close to the Auckland Volcanic Field, which exhibits a very different style of vulcanism. The Auckland volcanic field is a generally Monogenetic volcanic field in the North Island of New Zealand. Geothermal activity is still present on the Peninsula, with hot springs in several places, notably at Hot Water Beach, in the central east coast between Whitianga and Tairua. Hot Water Beach is a Beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, approximately 12 kilometres south east of Whitianga. Whitianga (pronounced "Fitianga" is the main settlement of Mercury Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. The town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand.
People
Owing to the nature of the land, much of the Coromandel's population is concentrated in a small number of towns and communities along the southeastern and southwestern coasts.
Only five towns on the peninsula have populations of over 1000 (Coromandel, Whitianga, Thames, Tairua, and Whangamata), and of these only Thames has a population of over 5000. Education Coromandel Area School is a state composite (years 1-13 school with a decile rating of 3 and a roll of 304 Whitianga (pronounced "Fitianga" is the main settlement of Mercury Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand 's North Island. The town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. The town of Whangamata is sited on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. Several small towns dot the coast of the Firth of Thames in the southwest. The Firth of Thames is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. Other small towns on the peninsula include Whiritoa, Hikuai, Pauanui and Colville. Whiritoa is a small beach community on the Coromandel Peninsula between Whangamata and Waihi Beach. Hikuai is a small community on the Tairua River towards the base of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. The town of Pauanui meaning Big Paua (abalone in Maori is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. Education Colville School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8 school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 35 The population of several of these centres is highly seasonal, with many Aucklanders having holiday homes in the Coromandel. Around the Christmas and New Year holiday period, the Coromandel is abuzz with activity, particularly in Whangamata, Whitianga and Pauanui, where youths and families from around the North Island come to spend their holiday.
The peninsula is a popular place to live for those who have chosen an alternative lifestyle, especially for those who have elected not to live in Auckland. The 1970s saw thousands of hippies relocate from large cities around New Zealand to the Coromandel in search of an environmentally friendly lifestyle associated with the counterculture back-to-the-land movement. The Hippie Subculture was originally a Youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world Environmental friendly, eco-friendly, and nature friendly are synonyms used to refer to Goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm Counterculture (also " counter-culture " is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a Cultural group, or The phrase " back-to-the-land movement " refers to a North American social phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s In recent times an increasing numbers of affluent Aucklanders are also moving to the Coromandel.
The population density decreases with both distance from the coast and distance north. Of the main population centres, only Coromandel, Colville, and Whitianga are in the north of the peninsula, and much of the interior is virtually uninhabited.
The twin towns of Waihi and Waihi Beach, to the southeast of the peninsula, are often considered to be in the Coromandel although they do not strictly lie on the peninsula itself, as they lie just to the north of the Karangahake Gorge, the pass which marks the southern end of the Coromandel Range. Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town Waihi Beach is a coastal town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand 's North Island. The Karangahake Gorge lies between the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand 's North Island Coromandel Range is a ridge of rugged hills running the length of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand.
Industries and attractions
The area was formerly known largely for its gold and coal mining and kauri industries, but is now a mecca for tourism, especially ecotourism. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small Genus of 21 species of Evergreen Trees in the Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of Tourism that appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals A forest park occupies much of the centre of the peninsula, and the coasts are dotted with fine beaches and stunning views. The Moehau Ranges even have an elusive monster, The Hairy Moehau, which is quite a popular attraction with tourists. The Moehau is reputed to a large hairy hominid in the Coromandel-Moehau ranges of New Zealand's North Island
Evidence of the regions geothermal origins can be found in hot springs, notably at Hot Water Beach on the peninsula's east coast. A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated Groundwater from the earth's crust. Hot Water Beach is a Beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, approximately 12 kilometres south east of Whitianga. The town of Whangamata is a popular holiday retreat, and Whitianga on Mercury Bay is renowned for its yachting. Mercury Bay is a large V-shaped bay on the eastern ( Pacific Ocean) coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. Yachting is an activity involving boats It may be racing Sailing boats cruising to distant shores or day-sailing along a coast The peninsula's waters are also a popular destination for scuba divers. Diving off a deck into the Great South Bay of Long Islandjpg|thumb|A man dives into the Great South Bay of Long Island.
Transportation
The towns are connected by State Highways 25 and 25A which form a circuit around the peninsula. The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. At the base of the peninsula, the towns of Paeroa and Waihi are connected by means of a road through the Karangahake Gorge which separates the Coromandel Range from the Kaimai Ranges. Paeroa is a small town in New Zealand. It is located in the northern Waikato region known locally as the Thames Valley, at the foot of the Coromandel Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town The Karangahake Gorge lies between the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand 's North Island The Kaimai Range is a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. Not all of the roads within the peninsula are sealed with tarmacadam, notably the 309 Road which connects Coromandel Town and Whitianga. Tarmac (short for tarmacadam, a Portmanteau for Tar -penetration Macadam) is a type of highway surface, pioneered by John Some hire car companies have contracts that specifically exclude driving on these roads.
Notes
- ^ Normal New Zealand usage tends to refer to places informally as being "in the Coromandel" rather than "on the Coromandel Peninsula".
External links
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