Location & Attractions
Getting Here
Being just over an hour from Auckland and Hamilton airports, Grafton Cottage & Chalets accommodation is ideally placed for the first and last few days of your holiday. It's an easy drive from all the major North Island towns and cities.
Experiencing the Coromandel is endlessly rewarding - allow at least a couple of days to appreciate the stunning coastline, beautiful beaches, and diverse arts and crafts.
Explore an old goldmine, a pottery, or a tropical butterfly sanctuary. Go fishing, hiking, or bird watching. All of the holiday attractions are within easy reach of your accommodation at Grafton Cottage. Return to your chalet at the end of each day and relax in the spa pool.
We have a wide range of brochures and maps and enjoy helping you choose what to do on your vacation. We can also arrange tours, cruises, and fishing trips.
In and Around Thames
All these attractions are within 10 minutes of Grafton Cottage
Hauraki Rail Trail
The Hauraki Rail Trail is a grade one 2-day ride, making it an ideal weekend experience.
It can be accessed from Thames, Paeroa, Waihi, or Te Aroha, and the trail also offers a range of shorter riding options, including day rides.
The trail showcases some of the best scenery New Zealand has to offer, rich in pioneering history
Visit their Website.
Goldmine Experience
A guided tour takes you through an operational 19th century Stamper Battery and into one of the richest goldmines of the time.
A self-guided tour allows you to explore the photographic museum, view a video presentation, discover mining relics and see steam-powered machines.
Try your luck at gold panning! Visit their Website.
Bush Walks
Thames & the nearby Kauaeranga Valley offer a wealth of excellent walking & tramping tracks, including The Pinnacles, Waiomu Kauri, Kauaeranga Valley, Kauri Trail and more.
Within half an hour from Grafton Cottage
- Rapaura Water Gardens www.RapauraWatergardens.co.nz
- Miranda Hot Springs www.mirandahotsprings.co.nz
- Wilderness Gems www.wildgems.co.nz
- Ngatea Water Gardens www.ngateawatergardens.co.nz
About an hour from Grafton Cottage
- Driving Creek Railway and Potteries www.drivingcreek.nz
- Coromandel township www.coromandeltown.nz
More than an hour from Grafton Cottage
- Hot Water Beach www.whitianga.co.nz/hwbeach.html
- Hahei & Cathedral Cove www.hahei.co.nz
- Waiau Waterworks www.thewaterworks.co.nz
For more information about Thames
Visit this website: http://www.thecoromandel.com/thames.html