Coromandel is the name of a town and harbour on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. They are 75 kilometres east of the city of Auckland, although the road between them, which winds around the Firth of Thames and Hauraki Gulf coasts, is 190 km long. The town was named after the peninsula, which was named after HMS Coromandel, which sailed into the harbour in 1820. At one time it was a major port serving the peninsula's gold mining and kauri industries. Today, the town's main industries are tourism and mussel farming. Coromandel Harbour is a wide bay on the Hauraki Gulf guarded by several islands, of which the largest is Whanganui Island. The town and environs are a popular summer holiday destination for New Zealanders. Coromandel is noted for its artists, crafts, alternative lifestylers, mussel farming, and recreational fishing. Population (2003 estimate) is 1,620.
References
- Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4.
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