Coromandel Peninsula

36°50′S 175°35′E / 36.833°S 175.583°E / -36.833; 175.583

Location of Coromandel Peninsula
Motukawao Islands and Hauraki Gulf from near Colville
Waikawau Bay
Tairua
View over Mercury Bay from the Tairua–Whitianga road
Rainforest of inland Coromandel Peninsula

The Coromandel Peninsula (Māori: Te Tara-o-te-Ika-a-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends 85 kilometres (53 mi) north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) wide at its broadest point. Almost its entire population lives on the narrow coastal strips fronting the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty. In clear weather the peninsula is clearly visible from Auckland, the country's biggest city, which lies on the far shore of the Hauraki Gulf, 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the west. The peninsula is part of the Thames-Coromandel District and the Waikato Region.