Tairua is a seaside village with an attractive harbour and white sand beaches. Paku, an extinct volcanic cone, is the town’s most memorable landscape feature. It can be climbed from Paku Drive; the summit is a steep 15 minute walk.
This area of the Coromandel Peninsula is a favourite holiday destination – there are many baches (holiday houses) around the harbour and on the surrounding hillsides. For a small town, Tairua has an excellent range of restaurants and cafés; accommodation is also plentiful, although it pays to book ahead.
Across the water from Tairua is Pauanui, a purpose-built holiday community with a residential canal development.