THE BLOG

Castle Rock is the core of an old volcano that rises above the bush on the backbone of the peninsula. To climb it, you leave the 309 Road and drive about 2 km up through the pine forest. Leave your car and set off on foot up a clay road then a walking track in the native bush.

Waiau Falls are just below the road – an easy walk to view this beautiful spot. The falls cascade over the rocks and have formed a great swimming hole below.

Remembering that the Coromandel Peninsula was once covered by these magnificent kauri trees, it is well worth the walk along the old coach road, which is now a gravel path, and boardwalks to stand next to these few remaining giants — protected from before the turn of the century. The walk takes about 10 minutes but you need 15 – 45 minutes to appreciate the beauty. These trees are magnificent so don’t miss this stop!

The 309 Road is a 22-kilometre gravel road between the towns of Whitianga and Coromandel. There are two theories as to how it got its name: one is that there are 309 bends in the road, the other is that horse-drawn coaches used to take 309 minutes to travel it. Today this road offers a great day out with lots of things to see and do along the way.