It's a perfect irony. Many Coromandel residents have moved to the spectacular area to escape the urban rat race, but during the summer holiday season the population of some beach resorts can increase tenfold. Beachside towns inhabited by quiet retirees suddenly find themselves welcoming a younger crowd of families and surfing teenagers; while on the peninsula's northern tip, neo-hippies forging alternative lifestyles are joined by walkers enjoying stunning hikes through native forest and along deserted beaches.

Bordered by Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf to the west and the unfettered expanse of the South Pacific Ocean to the east, the Coromandel Peninsula's rugged and forested mountainous spine offers many opportunities for challenging hiking and mountain biking.

The west coast highlights the region's lustrous past when settlements like Thames and Coromandel Town drew enthusiastic gold prospectors from around the world. Gold was first discovered in 1852, and while the gold rush has long since expired, it's easy for visitors to recreate the old days in interesting museums and mines amid restored Victorian architecture.

The peninsula's east coast is more about looking ahead, and from December to March, the area's beaches are a favourite holiday escape for urban refugees from across the North Island. The contrasting aromas of suntan lotion and barbecues drift on gentle sea breezes,along with the telltale sounds of summer – buzzing cicadas and beach cricket. In resort towns like Whitianga and Whangamata, the quieter days of winter and spring give way to annual festivals and a packed schedule of summer events. Like all of coastal New Zealand, the stunning bays and coves are becoming dotted with flash new houses that belie the phrase 'holiday home', but with an adventurous spirit it's still not too hard to discover a remote and sandy patch of paradise.