Thames

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THAMES ACTIVITIES AND TRAVEL | Thames Information

Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. Located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River, Thames is a small coastal town built during a gold rush and known by some as the gateway to the Coromandel. The town is located just under one and a half hours drive from Auckland. Surrounding the town is the Thames estuary and dramatic volcanic hills of the Coromandel range and Kauaeranga Valley.

Thames is the regions service centre; it is the main shopping centre of the Coromandel and has a lot of boutique-style shops, an historic main street and the modern Goldfields Shopping Mall.

Thames has many exciting and unique attractions suited for everybody such as the Historical Museum, Thames School of Mines Museum, the War Memorial Monument, Rocky's Goldmine Trail, Karaka Bird Hide, Thames Coast, Kauaeranga Valley and Thames Market.

Thames has warm temperatures and long sunshine hours which makes it a very popular tourist location. Thames has an average daytime temperature of 22°C in the summer and 13°C in the winter but the Coromandel region often experiences high annual rainfall.

Thames History

In the late 19th century Thames was one of New Zealand's largest towns, and was considered as a site for the capital city. The fascinating history of Thames is still alive in the pubs, buildings, museums and activities of the area.

Thames was formed from two historic towns, Grahamstown and Shortland. Shortland was in the south of Thames and was founded on the 27th of July 1867. Grahamstown was founded the following year at the northern end of present Thames, approximately one mile from Shortland. The two towns merged in 1874.

Main Towns in the Coromandel Region

Other Towns in the Coromandel Region