Coromandel (peninsula)

It extends into the ocean about 85 kilometers ^[1] , is located between the bays of Hauraki and Firth of Thames ( Firth of Thames ), the width does not exceed 40 kilometers. The largest city in the state, Auckland , is located 42 kilometers to the west and in clear weather is visible from the extreme western point of the peninsula.

The relief is hilly , covered with humid subtropical forests, steep banks. The Coromandel Ridge at its highest point reaches almost 900 meters above sea level and is a geological continuation of the Great Barrier Island . Despite being close to major cities such as Auckland and Tauranga , the peninsula remains virtually uninhabited, overgrown with natural dense forest.

The peninsula is surrounded by groups of small islands: Motukawao Islands , Alderman Islands , Slipper Island and Mercury .

The peninsula is located near the Auckland Volcanic Field . Traces of violent volcanic activity were found in the Miocene and Pliocene . Since then, activity has shifted to the Taupo zone , although lately eruptions have been recorded 25 km from the peninsula on the island of Mayor . Hot Water Beach (the center of the east coast) has geothermal springs .

The main population of the peninsula lives in small villages in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the peninsula, only five of them have a population of more than 1000 inhabitants of , Whitianga , Thames - more than 5000 inhabitants, Tairua and Fangamata ( Whangamata )) - a significant part of these settlements is seasonal: many come there only for Christmas and New Year .

The peninsula is a place of hippie leisure and representatives of subcultures who prefer : and .

Previously , gold was mined on the peninsula (most of the mines were mothballed in the 1980s , as of 2009 there was only one operating ^[2] ) and they harvested kauri wood, now it is one of the favorite places for eco-tourists impressed by the virgin forest, which occupies a large central part of the peninsula, cozy beaches and magnificent landscapes. Guides also actively exaggerate the legend of a local "relative" of the snow man, Moehau , who allegedly lives on the hills of the peninsula.

• On the 37th parallel, this peninsula is crossed by the heroes of Jules Verne ’s novel “ Children of Captain Grant ”.
• On January 4, 2011, a significant amount of Australasian snapper fish (the so-called dead fish ) was thrown onto the shores of the peninsula ^[3] .

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  Peninsula on the map of the island of North

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  Peninsula in a picture from space (right)

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  Peninsula Forests

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  Wauikauau Bay

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  Opito Bay

• Coromandel (English) (inaccessible link) . Archived December 22, 2011.
• Traveling the Coromandel Peninsula
• A photo