Coromandel, New Zealand

Coromandel
Kapanga (Māori)
Photo of Coromandel town
Coromandel town
Map
Coordinates: 36°45′18″S 175°30′8″E / 36.75500°S 175.50222°E / -36.75500; 175.50222
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato
DistrictThames-Coromandel District
WardCoromandel-Colville ward
Community BoardCoromandel-Colville Community
Electorates
Government
 • CouncilThames-Coromandel District Council
Area
 • Total10.89 km2 (4.20 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total1,870
 • Density170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Postcode(s)
3506
1883 painting of the Coromandel Harbour by Philip Walsh

Coromandel, (Māori: Kapanga) also called Coromandel Town to distinguish it from the wider district, is a town on the Coromandel Harbour, on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is in the North Island of New Zealand.[3] It is 75 kilometres east of the city of Auckland, although the road between them, which winds around the Firth of Thames and Hauraki Gulf coasts, is 190 km long. The population was 1,870 as of June 2024[2].

The town was named after HMS Coromandel, which sailed into the harbour in 1820.[4] At one time Coromandel Harbour was a major port serving the region's gold mining and kauri industries. Today, the town's main industries are tourism and mussel farming.

Coromandel Harbour is a wide bay on the Hauraki Gulf guarded by several islands, the largest of which is Whanganui Island. The town and environs are a popular summer holiday destination for New Zealanders. Coromandel Town is noted for its artists, crafts, alternative lifestylers, mussel farming, and recreational fishing. One of the most popular tourist attractions is the Driving Creek Railway.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Area was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4.
  4. ^ "HMS Coromandel". Early shipping in New Zealand waters. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.