Campervan Rentals in Whitianga made simple! Whitianga is one of those small towns that you instantly fall in love with, and its local surrounds will be indelibly etched into your mind forever. The wonderful little town is located on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula.
Settled on the ever so scenic Mercury Bay, it stretches along Buffalo Beach, with the town located at the eastern end of the beach. It is home to a very fortunate 4,000 people. The beach actually takes its name from the HMS Bufallo which was destroyed during a fierce storm whilst she was anchored in Mercury Bay. A memorial of her anchor has been built at Buffalo Beach.
The best part about Whitianga is the seclusion from all the hustle and bustle. The town is some 200 odd kilometres from Auckland, 93 kilometres from Thames and 42 kilometres from Tairua. From the town you can catch a passenger ferry to Ferry Landing, which is right next to Cooks Beach. The ferry ride only takes about two minutes, or you can elect to take the 45 minute trip by road around Whitianga Harbour.
In the early days, aside from being a leading timber port of the country, the town also was a hub for boat building, flax milling, gold mining, gum digging and kauri milling. Commencing in 1844, and for well over sixty years, large vessels would come from all over greater Europe to load the much sought after Kauri timber. It has been estimated that during the boom period for timber shipping, over 500 million feet of Kauri timber was exported.
Today the city is a small regional centre with its focal point being tourism, farming and fishing. It is home to the beautiful Te Whanganui A Hei or Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve.
Some of the local attractions include the Whiti Farm Park, Alan Rhodes Pottery, Birdwood Springs, Cathedral Cove Macadamias, the Combat and Fun Zone, Highzone, Mercury Bay Museum, Mill Creek Bird and Animal Encounters, Ringihau Ranch Horse Riding, and The Lost Spring.