So, which is best and more popular?
It comes down to personal preference, according to Bayleys Coromandel director and general manager Shaun Paterson.
“They are very different markets. One’s more estuary-like and one’s golden-sand beaches.
“People either love the west coast or they love the east coast.”
The Coromandel Peninsula – southeast of Auckland and northeast of Hamilton – starts at Thames and Waīhī and tracks north up two coastlines, to Fletcher Bay in the east and Port Jackson in the west, which is about as far north as Mahurangi, a 45-minute drive north of Auckland.
From Thames the road meanders up the west coast under the red pōhutukawa tree canopies and passing through the bays of Ngārimu and Thornton and the villages of Te Puru, Waiomu, Ruamahunga, Tapu and Te Mata, all nestled on the still water of the Firth of Thames.
From there the road cuts across to Coromandel Town and Wyuna Bay, which offers stunning vistas across to Waiheke Island.
Almost directly opposite, over a 30-minute windy mountain road to the east, is the pristine white-sand, north-facing Matarangi beach, or Wangapoua if you veer left.
North from there over a gravel road is Kennedy Bay and further north, off the beaten track, lie Tuateawa and Waikawau.
Across from Matarangi is quiet Kūaotunu, Ōtama Beach and Ōpito Bay.
Back down the east coast, a plethora of beaches and beach towns awaits, including Wharekaho, Whitianga, Cooks Beach, Ferry Landing, Hāhei, Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach, Tairua, Pauanui, Ōpoutere, Ōnemana, Whangamatā and Whiritoa.
28 Radar Rd, Hot Water Beach, on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula.
From a real estate perspective, there’s a big difference in the two target markets, Paterson says.
“On the Thames (west) coast, your target market is really driven by fishing or people who are permanent or want to be closer to the city.
“The fishing on the Coromandel side and the protection of not having so much open ocean is phenomenal, so you get a lot of people who are keen on their fishing who want to be on the west coast.
“Whereas the east coast is your typical Kiwi-Coromandel dream of golden-sand beaches and islands and yes, fishing and diving, but a different kind.”
Paterson says on the west, Thames is the gateway hub for the peninsula and attracts permanent residents, including retirees, along with families and businesspeople.
At “Coro-town” as the residents have dubbed it, an alternative low-key lifestyle, history and heritage, and fishing are the major drawcards, Paterson says, plus quaint holiday baches and secluded bays.
“On the other side you’ve got probably more of the upmarket holiday beach-resort style of places.
“The east coast has grown off the back of it being led by beach holidays.”
The east’s main towns are Whangamatā, home to some of the most exclusive and expensive beachfront real estate, Tairua – a short ferry ride to Pauanui – and Whitianga, which has more than 6000 permanent residents swelling to about 18,000 in summer.
224 Beverley Tce in Whangamatā. Photo / Supplied
The east offers shopping, a cafe culture, tourist attractions, boating, diving, golfing and surfing, plus bar hopping and even concerts.
“Whangamatā and Whitianga have grown to be real little metropolises with really good amenity.”
When it comes to buying property on the peninsula, Paterson says buyers look for locations that suit their needs.
Thames has one of Waikato’s four outlying hospitals, making it attractive to anyone needing to be close to healthcare, such as retirees.
On the east side, Paterson says there’s an equal number of relocation sales where newcomers are looking for a work-lifestyle balance away from fast-paced cities.
“Relocating to live the Coromandel dream. We’ve had an influx really, ever since the [Covid] pandemic, of people wanting to come down and live here and enjoy everything the lifestyle has to offer.
“And you’ve still got a big chunk of holidaymakers who are buying holiday homes at all of the beach resorts.”
In 2024, Bayleys Coromandel tracked where buyers were moving from and found 74% came from outside the area.
A huge number of buyers have relocated from the Bay of Plenty, Paterson says.
“The narrative is always the same. They moved to Tauranga or the Mount (Maunganui) 20 years ago to get away from Auckland traffic and now they’re moving up here for the same reason.
“And in the same way, here we’ll see buyers in the main centres move further up – we’ve still got beautiful, undeveloped beaches right up to the top of the peninsula.”
The coastline at Kuaotunu, Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / 123rf
He says there’s a range of people buying property on the peninsula, attracted by work in the trades thanks to the growth, as well as the lifestyle and holiday opportunities.
What a buyer might pay depends on where they buy, and the east coast attracts a premium, Paterson says.
“It’s fair to say a lot of the beautiful Coromandel imagery you see and the beautiful golden-sand beaches that people associate the Coromandel with, they sit on the east coast.
“We call the Thames (west) coast the pōhutukawa coast because it’s one of the most beautiful drives in the country in my opinion when the ‘pohuts’ are out over summer, but it’s very different to what the east coast is.
From pōhutukawa-fringed fishing spots to bustling beach towns, the peninsula offers a lifestyle for every type of buyer. Photo / Getty Images
“So all of the affluent money you hear about coming into the Coromandel is predominantly targeted on the east coast for sure.”
It means a significant difference in price between the two coasts, Paterson says, with the east coast much higher.
In September, Bayleys sold a beachfront property in Whangamatā for a record-breaking $8.5 million.
A breakdown in median price points showed the marked differences between the two coasts.
On the east, average values at Whangamatā and Pauanui were $1.13m, Tairua $1.04m and Whitianga $850,000.
On the west side, Thames sat at $660,000 and Coromandel Town $641,000.