Pauanui
Encyclopedia
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River
Tairua River
The Tairua River is located on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand.It flows north and then northeast for a total of 35 kilometres from its source in the Coromandel Range to the west of Whangamata, passing through the town of Hikuai before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Tairua...
on its south bank, directly opposite the larger town of Tairua
Tairua
The town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula. The population was 1,269 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 192 from 2001...
. The population was 741 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 42 from 2001.
The two settlements are 30 kilometres east of Thames
Thames, New Zealand
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council....
. Several islands lie off the mouth of the river, notably Slipper Island
Slipper Island
Slipper Island or is located to the east of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island and southeast of the town of Pauanui. It is a beach resort privately owned by Nora & Abe Needham's 14 children, making it one of the few privately owned islands in New Zealand...
to the southeast and the Alderman Islands
Alderman Islands
The Aldermen Islands are a small group of rocky islets to the southeast of Mercury Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. They are located off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, east of the mouth of the Tairua River....
20 kilometres to the East.
The area is a popular holiday destination, with an estimated summer holiday maker population of over 15,000, and is popularly imagined as a resort enclave for Auckland's upper-middle classes - properties with views of the ocean are regularly sold for over NZ$1 million.
The settlement has an airstrip used by recreational light-aircraft pilots and is noted for game fishing, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
and its excellent beach.