Seabird Coast

An attractive journey to or from Auckland on the Pacific Coast Highway, the Seabird Coast scenic route features some interesting stops along the way.

Taste award winning fish 'n' chips and pottery/crafts in Kaiaua, enjoy the bush walks and orchards of the Regional Park or the hot springs at Miranda. There's also fishing and worldrenowned bird watching with beautiful views of the Firth and Coromandel Range.

In the early 1900s the Hauraki Plains was a large swamp, but today after extensive drainage work, is highly productive dairy land - contrasting with the protected wilderness wetlands such as the Kopuatai Peat Dome.

Reasons to visit:

MIRANDA,foreshore on the Firth of Thames – With nearly half of the population of the endemic Wrybill found at Miranda during part of the year, and with numbers of shorebirds often exceeding 10,000 the Miranda coastline is almost a mandatory stop for any birdwatcher passing by. Hot mineral pools and camping facilities are available for non-winged visitors!

WAITAKARURU– known for its plentiful flounder, this is also an excellent stop for that classic Kiwi delicacy – the ice cream cone. Ngatea – well known for its sporting facilities, and the Ngatea Watergardens. Ngatea offers a number of retail outlets specialising in New Zealand & regional art & collectables.

WAIHOU RIVER – Captain Cook explored this river in 1769, naming it after the Thames River in England.

GOLF COURSE – an interesting, picturesque course located at Mangatarata on the corner of State Highway 2 and State Highway 27.