Day 1: Auckland → Thames → Hahei
2026-11-02 · Auckland Airport → Hahei
111 mi · 179 km · 2h 47m @40mph
Land around 8am and collect the Maui by late morning. Grocery and fuel at Pak'nSave Thames, then over the Kōpū–Hikuai road through Tairua to the beach at Hahei — the smart RV route onto the Coromandel, skipping the slow west-coast road. A deliberate holiday-park start, kind to the jet lag.
Stops
- Thames~10:35townFormer gold-rush town at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, retaining Victorian-era buildings and a mining heritage. The main gateway to the Coromandel's beaches and bush.
- Tairua~12:18surfSteep-shelving beach that can shape good barrels.
- Hahei Beach~13:44beachGolden-sand Coromandel beach village and the launchpad for Cathedral Cove and sea-kayak trips.
Tonight: Hahei
No place picked for this night yet.
In Hahei base plan
- Hahei Holiday Resort holiday-park
Beachfront powered site, five minutes' walk to the Cathedral Cove kayak launch. Freedom camping is tightly restricted on this coast, so this is a deliberate two-night holiday-park start — kind to the jet lag. Book ahead.