Visit one of the Coromandel Peninsula’s finest kauri stands on the Waiomu Kauri Grove Walk. It's an easy walk that follows the  Waiomu stream up the valley. The surrounding forest is lush and full of tree ferns and birdsong. Read More

The Waiotahi Track is accessible from Thames township. It follows an old packhorse track and passes several old goldmines with beautiful views overlooking Waiotahi stream. After 2 hours it joins the Karaka Track and continues onto Crosbies Hut. The walk Read More

John William Hall Arboretum is New Zealand’s oldest arboretum, established in 1872 by Thames chemist John William Hall. He began planting his three-acre property in 1872, initially to control erosion when he became alarmed at the effect of rainfall on Read More

Te Kauaeranga (Pā) - This word means ‘The stacked bones of the whale jaw’. Waiwhakaurunga (Kauaeranga River) - means ‘the many bathing pools of the upper reaches’. Waiwhakaurunga is commonly called Kauaeranga River, after the early Te Kauaeranga pā formally Read More

The flat, well-developed path of the Thames Coastal Walkway runs along the foreshore of Thames from Shortland Wharf to Kuranui Bay, taking in wharves, railway stations and many historic sites. There is plenty of scope to cut into town at Read More

Jasper Creek Walk is your morning stroll while camping in paradise. The walk starts at Hotoritori Campsite up the Kauaeranga Valley and passes through regenerating tōtara, rimu, tōwai and kahikatea, with several species of fungi and ground orchids growing alongside. Read More

Te Karaka - the grove of Karaka Trees. Te Maunu, a high-born chief of Ngāti Maru, resided here and owned extensive cultivations in the area of Karaka Track in the 1800s. This track is accessible from town, up Karaka Rd Read More

The Kauaeranga Visitor Centre (DoC) is one of the busiest in New Zealand. It’s your gateway to the Kauaeranga Valley, Coromandel Forest Park. Start your journey here, grab a map, book a campsite, chat with a DoC ranger about the Read More

Take a short, informative walk along the Kauaeranga Nature Walk to one of Kauaeranga’s most popular swimming holes, Hoffman's Pool, and experience a range of New Zealand forest types and fauna. There are handy information panels along the way that Read More

Visit an amazing one-third replica Kauri driving dam. The model kauri dam is accessed via from the Kauaeranga DoC Centre carpark and down the short Kahikatea Walk. The replica dam was restored by Rotary Thames members in 2020, and during Read More