Pacific Coast Highway

Photo credit:Chris McLennan

Follow the coast from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay and you’ll discover a world of native rainforests, spectacular beaches and relaxing resort towns. The highlight of your holiday could be digging your own spa pool on Hot Water Beach, jet boating on the Motu River or sampling chardonnay at a Gisborne vineyard. You’ll be spoilt for choice.

The Coromandel Peninsula has a glittering past. Near Thames and in the Karangahake Gorge you can follow old miners’ trails - you won’t strike gold, but you will discover some outstanding scenery.

Game fishing trips and dolphin encounters are the local specialities in the Bay of Plenty. Another highlight is White Island, an active volcano that’s tame enough for walking tours - a gas mask and hard hat just add to the excitement. Around East Cape, beach walks and fishing (off the rocks or on a charter boat) are a way to slip into local time.

A massive earthquake in 1931 nearly wiped Napier and Hastings off the map, but the subsequent rebuilding programme gave the cities a special point of difference. A guided or self-guided walk will lead you through an amazing wealth of Art Deco, Stripped Classical and Spanish Mission architecture.

Hawke’s Bay will also wow you with Cape Kidnappers - a spectacular peninsula where you can play golf or visit the largest mainland gannet colony in the world. While you’re enjoying the bay, hire a mountain bike for a self-propelled tour of the wineries.

Cathedral Cove
A 2-hour return walk, or a guided kayaking trip, will bring you to the white sands and arches of Cathedral Cove. It’s an idyllic place to swim, snorkel, picnic or simply relax under the pohutukawa trees.

Hot Water Beach
This beach lives up to its name. For two hours either side of low tide, you can create your own hot pool by digging into the sands. The hot spring bubbling up through the sand is the legacy of an exciting volcanic past.

White Island
Walking on an active volcano is a once in a lifetime opportunity. White Island hisses, fumes, belches and rumbles with geothermal action. It’s accessible by launch and helicopter from Whakatane.

Gisborne – the chardonnay city
Gisborne is Eastland’s biggest population centre and the first city in the world to see the sunrise each day. Known as the "Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand", Gisborne produces premium white wines.

Taste sensations
The agricultural heritage of Hawke’s Bay lives on in the region’s wineries, orchards and artisan food producers. At any time of the year, you can follow food and wine trails to discover exceptional taste sensations.

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