The Coromandel Peninsula, a long spit of land that shields the Hauraki Gulf from the stormy Pacific Ocean, is where many New Zealanders come to get away from it all. So, given how laidback and picturesque the rest of the country is, you can imagine what it’s like here. Fringed with powdery beaches flanked by steep rainforest-clad mountains, the North Island peninsula attracts an adventurous, environmentally conscious crowd, its west coast dotted with small towns that swell during high season and can be almost deserted the rest of the year. On a fine day you can see as far as the capital, Auckland, which is around a three hour drive or a two-hour scenic ferry journey, while the pleasant harbour city of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty is 2.5 hours southeast by car.