Where else
to

on
the Peninsula.

Tairua, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Tairua has links with the Peninsula's early timber and gold eras. The township was originally a timber mill town during the late 1800's with vast amounts of kauri cut in the surrounding hills. It is said that through Tairua's harbour passed 400 million feet of timber, and in 1882 occurred one of the most spectacular log drives ever seen. As heavy rains filled the dams in the main valley and its tributaries, the dams were tripped one by one bringing a mass of 15,000 logs hurtling from the booms to the mouth of the river.
Paku Mountain was once the site of a heavily fortified pa, with the terraces still to be seen affording wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within the rich hunting grounds of marlin and tuna.
Few mainland townships relied on coastal shipping longer than those on the Coromandel Peninsula. The port of Tairua still claims the world record for a days loading of kauri logs.
With the opening of the Kopu-Hikuai Road in 1967, Tairua has become a popular holiday resort. Gold panning after storms can produce traces of "colour" and the only opal mine in New Zealand was situated at Hikuai in the 1900's.
Tairua's oldest building, the 115 year old general store still survives today and has been renovated to provide restaurant and dive shop facilities.

OLD PHOTOS.
This is where all the old photos will go...if anyone has any old photos of Tairua they would like shown on this page, please email them to us and we'll find a place for them.
If you can't email them send the photo to:
"Tairua Old Photo"
P.O.Box 166
Whangamata.
Please include a return address, so we can send the photos back to you.