Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway is a 420km journey of coastal scenery & beaches, forest wilderness, photogenic seaside villages & grape growing districts.

The cities of Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier and Hastings will satisfy your urge to wine, dine and shop. Amazing natural landscapes such as White Island - an active offshore volcano - will colour your travel memories forever.

Route Summary

Most people begin this driving route in Auckland, New Zealand's main international gateway. The Coromandel Peninsula follows, with its beaches and native forests. After the gold mining town of Waihi, the road sweeps along the Bay of Plenty, passing Tauranga and Whakatane, then around East Cape to Hawke's Bay, finishing at Napier. From here you can link to the Thermal Explorer touring route and travel back to Auckland.

Key Features

The North Island's east coast is famed for its white sand beaches - some tranquil, others frothing with surf. Make sure you see Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula, well worth the 40 minute hike to get there. A little further south is Hot Water Beach, where you can dig your own spa pool at low tide and relax in geothermally heated water that bubbles up through the sand. Other beach highlights on your journey will include the surf beaches of Whangamata, Waihi and Mount Maunganui - the latter comes complete with a slick resort town and an excellent choice of good restaurants. Offshore from Whakatane lies White Island, an active volcano that is safe enough for walking tours.

From a hedonistic point of view, the Pacific Coast Highway never fails to satisfy. Auckland is the unofficial headquarters for Pacific Rim cuisine. At Viaduct Basin and along Ponsonby Road, innovative chefs play with the freshest ingredients from local growers and producers. In Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, winery restaurants make it easy to appreciate lush Chardonnay, smooth Merlot and spicy Cabernet Sauvignon in the company of first class cuisine.