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Pacific Coast Highway
Discover
the day by day delights of cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway
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From big city bright lights to the remote
regions of Eastland, the Pacific Coast Highway wends its way through five distinct regions
of dramatic scenery, splendid wining, dining and adventure activities. |
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 City of Sails
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| You can start your Pacific Coast tour with a roll of the dice at Sky City Casino in
Auckland's latest most lavish entertainment centre. Views from the soaring, space-age Sky
Tower reveal a breathtaking panorama of Auckland's many natural and cultural attractions,
from the beaches and island hideaways of Hauraki Gulf, to the rolling farms and wineries
which surround the city. Literally beneath your feet Auckland offers fashionable shopping,
bustling markets and a marvellous array of eating experiences. |
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| The picturesque Coromandel is around an hour and a half
drive from Auckland. It's a region of sunshine, remote beaches and dense bush clad hills.
As a favourite holiday spot for New Zealanders, there are plenty of good, affordable
places to stay. Artistic communities thrive amongst Coromandel's natural charms and what
could be more exotic than to soak in your own heated spa pool dug from the sand on Hot
Water Beach. |
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Golden Sands
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Plenty to See and Do
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Basking in a sunny, Sub-tropical climate, the wide crescent of the Bay of Plenty (or Bay of Islands) is one of New Zealand's fastest growing
communities.
- It's a region of surf, sand,and smoking offshore volcanoes, with the bustling port city
of Tauranga its urban centre.
Maritime adventures include fishing, boating, coast walks, and trips to the active
volcanic crater of White Island. Behind the fertile stretch of kiwi fruit and citrus farms
are marvellous bush walking tracks and some of new Zealand's finest fly fishing rivers. |
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| The rugged vastness of Eastland is one of New Zealand's
least travelled regions. The Pacific Coast Highway flows along the margins of this
mountainous peninsula, offering spectacular ocean views at every turn.
Experience the magic of an Eastland sunrise knowing your are the first person in the
world to see the light of a new day. Stopovers are no problem as there are numerous small
communities along the coast offering motel, pub, or camping ground facilities.
This is a region of splendid coastal and bush walks, abundant marine life (much
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Land of the Rising Sun |
| edible) and excellent surfing beaches. There is a robust Maori
culture centred on the town of Rotorua, and the road links many places of historic
interest for both Maori and European settlers.Gisborne is Eastland's major centre, it's
sunny climate producing excellent local wines, fresh produce and superb seafood.Drop in on
Sunshine Breweries and try a drop of their multi-award winning freshly brewed beers.
Gisborne is the first city of the sun, so check out the Millennium Clock in the city
centre, counting down the milliseconds to the "Age of Aquarius" at midnight of
the year 2000. |
A Style
All It's Own
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| At the end of the Pacific Coast Highway lies the great arc of Hawke's Bay and its twin
cities of Napier and Hastings. Napier is famed for it's unique townscape of art deco
style buildings now lovingly restored and painted in vibrant pastel shades. Ideal
surroundings in which to relish the flavours of fresh local foods served up with flair and
washed down with bottles of excellent wine from Hawke's Bay's renowned local wine estates.
Take an after dinner promenade along Marine Parade, another art deco masterpiece, with
many visitor attractions, including performing dolphins and sealions, a kiwi house, and
fearsome sharks.
The gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers is a natural wonder well worth a visit, especially
in summer. |
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