Tairua and Pauanui

The twin harbour towns on the Peninsula’s east coast, Tairua and Pauanui, offer a superb setting beside the Pacific Ocean.

With views out to the twin peaks of volcanic Mount Paku and the jagged Aldermen Islands, Tairua is scenic and stunning. Inside the headland, Tairua's harbour offers sheltered waters for sailing, kayaking and windsurfing. The ocean beach is ideal for body boarding, surfing and beach fishing - or you can simply relax on the sand.

There are several interesting walks within the Tairua township, including a climb to the summit of Paku. To the north of the town, the 10-minute Twin Kauri Walk leads into a reserve of tree ferns and Kauri trees. Another track, along Te Karo Bay, takes you to the memorial for a sailor who drowned in the surf in 1842.

Tairua is the older of the two towns and originally a milling and farming community. Across the water is Pauanui, where Pauanui Glade Holiday Park is situated. Pauanui was designed from scratch as a beach resort that features New Zealand’s first canal housing development.

A number of charter and fishing boats operate from the 2 wharves and the beaches are perfect for safe swimming and surfing. A passenger ferry links the two towns, as it's a 20 minute drive around the harbour. The area has a number of great walks and many activities including game fishing, canoeing and horse trekking.

Inland along the Puketui Valley, the Broken Hills Recreation Area offers fishing, kayaking, swimming, and camping opportunities. The beautiful scenery in this area includes some impressive rocky outcrops. Walking tracks range from an easy 10 minute stroll to a three-hour hike through a mine (bring a torch), where you will see glow worms if you are quiet. You'll discover fascinating relics from the gold mining and Kauri logging days, including a jail set into a cliff. Look and listen for tui, fantail, kereru, bellbirds, shining cuckoos, kingfishers, fernbirds and grey warblers.