Pacific Coast Highway: 720 km in Coromandel / Bay of Plenty / East Cape
The Pacific Coast Highway is a named touring highway in Coromandel / Bay of Plenty / East Cape. The governing figure used here is 720 km (NZTA Pacific Coast Highway), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 5 to 8 days. Grade: Scenic highway. Season window: Year-round.
Longer and slower than Thermal Explorer. SH35 around East Cape is the remote day — fuel and food are not continuous. Gisborne is the first real city after Ōpōtiki.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: Thames, Whitianga, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier. Cabins and holiday homes load live around each stop; hut and trailhead pins without a town page still search by radius.
Book DOC huts and Great Walks on the DOC system where that applies. Town beds are what this site lists. Carry the day’s food on remote legs — several of these routes have no shop between ends.
Stop by stop
Thames — Coromandel door. Whitianga — Mercury Bay. Tauranga — Bay of Plenty city. Gisborne — first light, East Coast. Napier — southern finish.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow NZTA Pacific Coast Highway. Confirm opening dates, slips and hut bookings on the operator or DOC page before you travel; alpine and West Coast tracks close or reroute after weather.
