Coromandel Peninsula
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Coromandel Peninsula Māori : Te Tara-o-te-ika-o-Māui |
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| Geographical location | |
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| Coordinates | 37 ° 53 ' S , 175 ° 38' E |
| location | west of the Bay of Plenty , North Island , New Zealand |
| Waters 1 | Hauraki Gulf , Firth of Thames , Pacific Ocean |
| Waters 2 | Bay of Plenty |
| length | 85 km |
| width | 40 km |
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The Coromandel Peninsula , called Te Tara-o-te-ika-o-Māui in the Māori language , is a peninsula in the Waikato region on the North Island of New Zealand .
Origin of name
The name Coromandel got the peninsula as well as the place Coromandel from the merchant ship HMS Coromandel awarded for the first time in the June 13, 1820 Colville Bay anchored to the ship for the Royal Navy valuable Kauri -Holz to take on board. 12 months later, the HMS Coromandel traveled back to England fully loaded and left its name to the place and the peninsula.
geography
The Coromandel Peninsula is located in the north of the North Island, 55 km east of Auckland . The peninsula, which extends roughly 85 km north from New Zealand State Highway 25A and is 40 km at its widest point, is bordered to the west by the Firth of Thames and the Hauraki Gulf and to the north and east by the Pacific Ocean and to the southeast by the Bay of Plenty .
The entire peninsula consists of a mountain landscape in which the mountain range of the Coromandel Range extends to the north and rises with the Kaitarakihi to a height of up to 852 m . To the south, the mountain range extends to Karagangahake Gorge and the small town of Waihi , which separates the Coromandel Range from the Kaimai Range , which runs further south .
North of Cape Colville , the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula , separated by the 16 km wide Colville Channel , is the island of Great Barrier Island , which geologically can be regarded as the earlier continuation of the peninsula to the north. A variety of islands lie off the east coast of the peninsula, such as Cuvier Island , the Mercury Islands , The Aldermen Islands , Slipper Island and Mayor Island , to name but a few. On the west coast there are some islands only in the northwest of the peninsula, such as the islands of the Motukawao Group and a few south of it.
The approximately 400 km long coast of the Coromandel Peninsula has numerous bays and sandy beaches as well as some natural harbors that would be there, Coromandel Harbor , Te Kouma Harbor and Manaia Harbor on the west coast as well as Whangapoua Harbor , Whitianga Harbor , Tairua Harbor , Wharekawa Harbor and Whangamata Harbor on the east coast.
By far the largest city on the Coromandel Peninsula is Thames , located in the southwest on the Firth of Thames . It is also the administrative seat of the Thames-Coromandel District , to which the peninsula is administratively assigned. Other important places are Coromandel on the west coast and Whitianga , Tairua , Pauanui and Whangamata on the east coast.
geology
From a geological point of view, the Coromandel Peninsula is part of the Coromandel Volcanic Zone , which extends from Great Barrier Island , across the peninsula with its offshore islands, to the southern end of the Kaimai Range . Volcanic activities thus determined the geological composition of the peninsula, on which andesite and rhyolite rocks are the dominant types of rock and only on the northern tip, on two strips on the west coast and a small area on the north-east coast, the graywacke base rock determines the surface structure.
The Coromandel Peninsula is also known for its rich gold deposits, which were mined from the 19th century and gold mining on the peninsula with the Martha Mine in the town of Waihi continues to this day.
population
In the Thames-Coromandel District , which is identical to the Coromandel Peninsula with the exception of the part south of Waihi , there were around 26,000 inhabitants at the census in 2013, of which around 6,700 are in the city of Thames , 4,400 in Whitianga , 3,500 on Whangamata , Distribute 1500 to Coromandel , 1200 to Tairua and 750 to Pauanui .
economy
The Coromandel Peninsula area was previously known for its gold mines and the woodworking industry specializing in kauri trees . Today the region lives to a large extent from tourism. Agriculture is practiced in an area south of Whitianga and in the Tairua River valley and some smaller areas further south.
Infrastructure
Road traffic
The Coromandel Peninsula can be reached from the south via New Zealand State Highway 2 and from the west from Auckland via New Zealand State Highway 2 and New Zealand State Highway 25 . The latter leads north on the west coast of the peninsula to Coromandel , branches off from there to the east and leads via Whitianga along the east coast to the south to Waihi . A cross connection from Thames to the east coast will be realized via the New Zealand State Highway 25A .
Shipping
From Coromandel it is possible to travel to Auckland by ship . The places on the east coast have marinas for recreational sports and recreation. There is no transport of goods via the ports.
Air traffic
The places Thames , Whitianga and Pauanui have smaller runways from which single-engine planes can climb. Regular flights to other airports in the country do not take place.
tourism
The east coast in particular is very popular with tourists and some of it is well developed. Attractive and well-known places are the thermal springs at Hot Water Beach , the coastline with Cathedral Cove and the numerous beaches spread over the east coast.
The places Whangamata , Pauanui and Whitianga have a marina and are popular as a starting point for sailing tours.
Flora and fauna
The extensive mountain landscape of the Coromandel Peninsula is covered with a subtropical rainforest.
On the east coast, the Whanganui A Hei ( Cathedral Cove ) Marine Reserve has been designated a marine reserve in which fishing is prohibited and boating is only permitted under certain conditions.
On the Coromandel Peninsula , the endangered species are at some beaches of Mornellregenpfeifer to find that in New Zealand Dotterel or Māori Tūturiwhatu be mentioned. About 2000 specimens still live on the beaches.
literature
- Peter Ballance : New Zealand geology: an illustrated guide (= Miscellaneous Publication No. 148 ). Geoscience Society of New Zealand , Auckland 2009, ISBN 978-0-473-41925-7 (English, online [PDF; 23.5 MB ; accessed on June 2, 2018]).
Web links
- Coromandel Recreation . (PDF 2.0 MB)Department of Conservation,accessed on June 2, 2018(English).
Individual evidence
- ^ Coromandel Town Aotearoa New Zealand - History . Coromandel Information Office , accessed June 2, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed June 2, 2018 .
- ^ Coromandel Peninsula . (PDF 734 kB) Bush and Beach , accessed on June 2, 2018 (English).
- ↑ a b Ballance : New Zealand geology: an illustrated guide . 2009, p. 105-110 .
- ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Thames-Coromandel District . Statistics New Zealand , accessed June 2, 2018 (English, district and pages below the district).
- ↑ Whanganui A Hei ( Cathedral Cove ) Marine Reserve . Department of Conservation , accessed June 2, 2018 .
- ^ Coromandel Recreation . (PDF 2.0 MB) Department of Conservation , accessed on June 2, 2018 (English).