Driving Creek Zipline
Glide through the forest on this unique zipline canopy tour and experience Coromandel’s breath-taking native forest from all levels, as you fly above the trees and walk beneath the ferns.
Knowledgeable guides will lead you on an unforgettable journey, to learn about Driving Creek’s transformation from kauri logging, goldmining and pastural farming, into a lush hand planted native forest, a haven for regenerating kauri trees and kiwi.
Two expert guides will greet and outfit you with the safety equipment you will need for the journey. A spectacular 18 minute train ride will take you up New Zealand’s only mountain railway to the start of your Ziplining experience. Your two friendly guides will then lead you along eight ziplines, which span through trees and across gullies and streams, to experience New Zealand’s native trees and birds, including our largest tree species, the Kauri.
Coromandel Zipline Tours is a fully charitable company with all the profits from your tour going towards restoring and preserving New Zealand’s native forests and supporting the New Zealand clay arts.
Stargazers BnB
Nestled in a protected valley in Kuaotunu 16km north of Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, Stargazers offers an ideal dark sky site to observe the stunning New Zealand southern night sky in all its dark sky glory with a range of optical tools.
This astronomy tour provides a comprehensive introduction to the NZ southern night sky. Commencing on a elevated stargazing observation deck you will learn to recognise several constellations and bright stars using a green laser pointer. Then, use the walk-in Pipehenge observing frame to learn how the stars and planets move in the sky and how the great New Zealand Maori and Polynesian voyagers used them for navigation across the Pacific Ocean.
You will continue with the professional 14″ Celestron CGE Pro 1400XLT telescope in the rotating 3.5m (11′) astronomy dome. View a range of objects including the moon, stars, planets and galaxies depending on availability on the night of your visit. Children can operate the dome rotation during the astronomy tour to give a clear view of the NZ sky.
Back at reception you will have ample time to examine and handle several 4½ billion year old meteorites and learn about the history of the classic Spitz A2 planetarium projector currently undergoing restoration and how it is used. There are several unique hands-on displays about things astronomical, geological and scientific including 150 million year old dinosaur bones. The astronomy tour concludes with a walk through a 25m scale model of the Solar System.
A hot drink is provided while stargazing to ward off the evening chill and a detailed information pack including a sundial kit is supplied to enable you to further your astronomy interests at home!
