Thames (pop. 6700) earned its claim to fame through the original get-rich-quick scheme—gold-digging. The 1870s were a prosperous decade, and, with a steady influx of hopeful miners, the city briefly enjoyed status as the largest in all New Zealand—over 100 hotels and bars poured whiskey for its 18,000 inhabitants. Today, Thames is a small, vibrant city offering travelers a glimpse at New Zealand’s colonial history, as well as a convenient base for exploring the scenic Coromandel Peninsula. While in town, visitors should dig up some cash of their own; ATMs are scarce hereafter.
InterCity departs the Thames i-Site for: Auckland (2hr.; 2-3 per day, $26; backpackers $21); Coromandel Town (1hr., daily 9:50am, $16); Tauranga (2hr.; 2-3 per day; $24, backpackers $21, students and seniors $19); Whitianga on a non-loop run (1hr.; 3:30pm; $33, backpackers $28, students and seniors $26). For a taxi, ring Thames Gold Cabs (☎868 6037). Although Let’s Go does not recommend hitchhiking, hitchers report that it’s possible to get to Coromandel town from Pollen or Queen St., and to Whitianga by waiting on either side of the SH25 bridge into town.
From Auckland, SH25 (Pacific Coast Highway) traces the east coast of the Firth of Thames before wrapping around the tip. Thames itself lies between the Firth and the sweep of the Coromandel Range. Most of Thames’s shops line Pollen Street. Parallel is Queen Street, the local stretch of SH25.
Several motor camps lie along the coastal road between Thames and Coromandel town, and the DOC runs eight campsites ($7) in the Kauaeranga Valley (see Coromandel Forest Park). Dorms fill up fast on summer weekends; be sure to book ahead. Contact the i-Site to investigate numerous B&B options.
Takeaways and cafes line Pollen Street. Fend for yourself at the Pak ’N Save, in the Goldfields Mall. (☎868 9565. Open daily 8am-8pm.)
Not only has Thames retained its 19th-century good looks, but most of its activities also throw backpackers a good hundred years into the past. An impressive memorial to the gold industry, the Gold Mine Experience, on SH25 at the north end of town, hosts rock-crushing and sifting demonstrations that will take you into a prospecting shaft, and breaks the illusion of gold-digging glamour. (☎868 8514. Open daily 10am-4pm. $10, children $5.) Illuminated at night, the WWI Peace Memorial, up Monument Rd. from Waiotahi Rd. at the north end of town, provides a panorama of both the town and the Firth. The Karaka Bird Hide, a small nature preserve just past Goldfields Mall, was built with French compensation funds for the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior . It is also home to several species of heron, gull, and mallard.
One of the best walks not maintained by the DOC is Rocky’s Goldmine Trail (2hr. round-trip with optional 1hr. sidetrip to waterfall), which starts and ends at the Dickson Holiday Park (☎868 7308) on Victoria St. at Tararu. The area is riddled with old and dangerous mine shafts—stay on the path. Tararu Creek Rd. leads to the Tararu Valley Conservation Trust, a native tree nursery that accepts volunteers. (☎868 8988.) Do not cross the fords if the water is overflowing. Also at the Holiday Park is the Butterfly and Orchid Garden, with 400 colorful insects fluttering inside a climate-controlled greenhouse. (☎868 8080. Open daily 10am-4pm; in winter 10am-3pm. $9.50, students and seniors $9, children $5.) To explore the natural wonders around Thames on horseback, call Vicky for K Valley Horse Treks, 607 Kauaeranga Valley Rd., 8km from Thames, which will take you on 2hr. ($80), half-day ($150), and moonlight ($95) tours. (☎868 6129. Pickups from the Thames i-Site $10.) Canyonz runs full-day trips into the Sleeping God Canyon, which includes the second-highest commercial rappel (70m) in New Zealand. (☎0800 422 696 or 027 294 7724; www.canyonz.co.nz. $175-200. Pickup and lunch included. MC/V.)
The winding 55km scenic drive to Coromandel town, with rocky inlets and bays shifting from muddy brown to jewel blue, is the most stunning drive on North Island, especially when the road turns inland, revealing Coromandel Harbour. Along the way, the Waiomu Kauri Grove, one of the finest old-growth stands in New Zealand, contains ancient, stout kauri. Turn right off of SH25 at the sign for Waiomu Bay Holiday Park and walk 1hr. through farmland and bush from the end of Waiomu Creek Rd., 15km from Thames. About 5km farther is the turn-off for the Tapu-Coroglen Road, which cuts across the peninsula. Follow it for about seven kilometers to find the Rapaura Watergardens, a lovely area of waterfalls, bushwalks, and garden art, with a tea room and accommodations. (☎868 4821; www.rapaurawatergardens.co.nz. $10, children $4. Open daily 9am-5pm.) Another few kilometers finds a sign marking a steep 10min. walk through native bush to the 1200-year-old “square kauri tree.”
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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