探索科罗曼德尔

科罗曼德尔的人们知道他们生活在新西兰最美丽、最宁静的地区之一

也许是地理的原因 The Coromandel 这激发了一种慢节奏的生活.  The peninsula juts out into the Pacific Ocean, as if trying to seek isolation and break away from the mainland, 看似寻求分离.

As is typical with islands and peninsulas, 一种更加个人主义的生活方式和自给自足的身份是普遍存在的.  科罗曼德尔的人们知道他们生活在新西兰最美丽、最宁静的地区之一, and they're all too happy to not be a part of the cogs that turn nearby Auckland, 尽管他们健康地依赖于公司定期输出的办公室员工, 财务主管和其他有抱负的人会在自己的地方度过漫长的周末.  在较长的假期期间，来自全国各地的新西兰人涌向科罗曼德尔, such as Christmas, 来适应温暖的气温, the beach life, and enjoy the archetypal barbecue Christmas dinner.

You will literally feel yourself slow down as you enter the Coromandel.  The local tourism board even claims it is 'good for your soul'.  A few days or weeks here and you will find yourself agreeing. 

如果你有充裕的时间去探索科罗曼德尔，你的体验将是十倍.  但如果你只有几天的时间, 你仍然可以尝试一下科罗曼德尔的生活方式，离开时感觉恢复了原样. 

Here are our suggested highlights if you only have a few days.

Hot Water Beach

位于泰鲁瓦和惠蒂安加之间，可能是科罗曼德尔最著名的地区之一.  在海滩下面有一条热水河，使它成为一个等待被发现的地下天然泉——它确实是, every day, 在退潮时被热切的探险家发现.  如果你在退潮后两小时到达，你会发现水还是滚烫的. What is more restorative than a hot bath? Well, not much. 所以深挖，深挖，放松. 它足够神奇，可以让孩子们娱乐，而成年人则吸收热水的治疗效果. Whitianga

Another option is to base yourself in Whitianga, the main settlement and heart of the Mercury Bay area, and take a boat to Cathedral Cove.  The glass bottom boat is a two hour cruise and gives you a clear, but dry, 海底的观景窗.  Fur seals are spotted from May to October, 全年都有企鹅, and visiting dolphins and orcas will occasionally stop by to say hello.  Other nautical options let you pack it all in one day, taking you on a tour of the Mercury Bay coastline stopping at Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove哈黑海滩等等.Aside from its busy wharf and boat cruises, Whitianga is a charming town with plenty to offer in its own right.  Among the attractions are beautiful art galleries, the Mercury Bay Museum, a winery and 'The Lost Spring地热热水池和水疗中心，非常适合测试对灵魂有益的理论.Coromandel Town

那些寻找历史背景的人会对科罗曼德尔镇感到高兴.  A key site in the gold rush of the 1860s, 在矿业学院的博物馆里，小镇仍然保留着其开拓时代的标志, old Court House, stamper battery, and more.  There is also a thriving artistic community in the town, with a plethora of studios and galleries exhibiting hand-crafted goods, weavings, iron work, oil paintings and sculptures to name but a few of the mediums.这里，也许是整个半岛最引人注目的景点是 Driving Creek Railway  a mountainous climb through replanted kauri forest. 这条铁路是当地陶工和环保主义者巴里·布里克尔的创意，他想找到一种方法来回收该地区的天然粘土和木材，用于艺术创作, 也是为了在过度狂热的英国殖民者近乎灾难性的过度砍伐之后，恢复森林昔日的辉煌.  从那以后，这种热爱的劳动催生了一个你在新西兰其他地方找不到的旅游景点. A feat of civil engineering and insightful ingenuity, the viaducts, 隧道和观景台使铁路成为一种风景优美、令人愉悦的体验.

科罗曼德尔的美丽, or rather, one of the many beauties of the Coromandel, is its seemingly limitless scope for exploration and relaxation. If you only make it to this region once in your life, 你不会轻易忘记的, 如果你有机会, you can guarantee you will come back to see more.