FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Coromandel Explorer guided walk departs Rotorua and Matamata roughly every second Monday, from October to April inclusive.

Where Do You Pick-Up From?

We can pick you up from your accommodation in either central Rotorua or central Matamata. We leave Rotorua city at 8.30am and we pick up any walkers from Matamata around 9.30am. Our team will confirm your pick up location and time a few weeks before departure once we know where everyone is staying. We’ve compiled a helpful list of ‘Best Places To Stay In Rotorua Before Or After Your Guided Walk.’ This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good place to start!

Self-Drivers / Rental Cars

If you’d like to drive yourself to meet us, that’s no problem. You can either drive yourself to meet us in Rotorua, or in Matamata. We have options for parking your vehicles, please get in touch with our team for more information. We can easily drop you back to your car when we return. If you are self-driving to Coromandel, we’ll let you know where to meet us and at what time. If you’re taking a different route please check with our reservations team, we can help you find the best solution.

Do You Offer Pick-ups From Auckland?

We offer an Auckland pick-up and return service for private groups only. To arrange a private shuttle transfer from Auckland for your group, just have a word to our friendly team.

On the Coromandel Explorer guided walk we stay in boutique accommodation just outside of Coromandel township in a peaceful slice of native bushland. We share all of our meals in the covered, heated alfresco dining area.

What Are The Rooms Like?

The Coromandel is known for it’s artistic, alternative, bohemian nature. You’ll have a beautiful hand-hewn timber cabin full of natural features connected to shared spaces via timber boardwalks. There are twin, double and triple studio cabins and every room has an ensuite bathroom. Not all rooms are the same, so if you’ve got specific room requirements, please get in touch with our friendly reservations team to select the best room for your needs. Accommodation is based on twin share, so if you’d like to have your own room please select the single supplement option in the booking form.

Does The Lodge Have Wi-fi?

The lodge has wi-fi available in your room, which at peak times can be slow so make sure you’ve got any important documents or files downloaded to your device before you arrive.

The Coromandel Explorer is a fully catered walk, we’ll take care of all your meals, snacks and hot drinks while you’re out on the trails with us. In other words, from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 4, we’ll make sure you’re well-fed and nourished. For instance breakfasts are continental with plenty of fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals, toast, tea and coffee. Lunches are made fresh each day with a nutritious filled wrap or sandwich, fresh fruit, nut mix and muesli bars. Dinners are a two-course, Kiwi-style meals with plenty of hearty veggies and salads and a sweet dessert to finish.

We’ll have a complimentary glass of beer or wine for you, with dinner, each evening. You’re welcome to bring your own alcohol if you wish, we just ask that you drink responsibly.

On our third and final evening, we’ll visit an award-winning local restaurant to try some amazing local fare prepared by talented chefs.

We are happy to accommodate guests with specialty diets or food allergies on the Coromandel Explorer guided walk. This is something we do regularly, but we appreciate as much advance notice as possible so that we can plan any menu changes that might be necessary. If we don’t receive adequate advanced notice, we may not be able to fully cater for dietary needs as we sometimes operate in an extremely isolated environment and it is not always possible to access specialty foods. Please ensure you advise us as early as possible if you have dietary requirements.

Food Allergies

If you have food allergies please be sure to let us know in advance. We’ll tailor your meals and snacks to avoid any foodstuffs that cause a reaction. When we visit a restaurant or cafe we’ll make sure our hosts are aware as well, but we won’t be able to control any cross-contamination that may naturally occur when we’re at those establishments.

Can I Bring My Own Food?

You are more than welcome to bring any food items you like to have! We’ll be located in Coromandel township so we won’t be far from a small local supermarket and we are happy to connect you with that store if you’d like to purchase any additional food stuffs.

The walking trails on the Coromandel Explorer walk are of moderate difficulty with short sections rated as hard. We tend to do easier days on Day’s 1 and 4, with more challenging days on Day’s 2 and 3. We’ve paced things carefully and we plan time for plenty of short, strategic breaks to rest and hydrate.

The trails range from well-formed paths to tracks broken with tree roots, rocks, mud and small stream crossings. Some of the walks can be varied slightly to provide easier options. The most challenging walk on this trip is the Pinnacles in the Kauaeranga Valley, which we normally tackle on Day 3. There are plenty of stairs to negotiate, as well as a short, steep section in the final 30 minutes where we access the summit proper via a network of steel rungs and ladders.

For a more in depth look at the Pinnacles Track, check out our blog post ‘A Step-By-Step Guide to the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail/The Pinnacles.’

On average you should be able to walk for 6 – 7 hours a day and carry a daypack with your lunch, water, raincoat and warm layers. In preparation for completing the Coromandel Explorer, it’s a great idea to start a training program beforehand that includes tracks with stairs. Perhaps complete a few shorter multi-day walks in the months beforehand to satisfy yourself that your fitness is adequate.

Every evening, over dinner, your guide will give you a detailed briefing on what to expect for the following day. We like to keep things relaxed so the faster walkers can go on ahead and the ‘plodders’ can take their time at the back without worrying about holding anyone up! If you have any issues with heights, please let us know beforehand and we can alert you to the specific areas of each track that you may find challenging.

Ready to book? Visit the Coromandel Explorer booking page to select your preferred date and lock it in.

If someone in your group is not a keen walker they can still join us, but the full walk price does apply for their spot. During the day non-walkers can spend time relaxing at the lodge, napping or reading. Coromandel Town is renowned for it’s unique artists and craftspeople, so wandering the artisan workshops and craft galleries in Coromandel Town is always a treat. Perhaps take a fishing trip (additional costs apply), or relax on a beach and meet up with the rest of your group in the evenings. Check out this full list of activities and attractions in Coromandel town.

Most non-walkers do a little bit of walking, they might join us on Day’s 1 and 4 as we head up to Coromandel and home again, but opt to sit out for Day’s 2 and 3 where we do a range of more challenging walks. The Pinnacles is the most challenging track we’ll do on this itinerary. Non-walkers may find our blog post ‘Step-By-Step Guide to the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail ‘The Pinnacles’ a very helpful read!

Please contact us for more details about this option or give our friendly team a call on 0800 925 569 (WALK NZ) or 1800 646 584 (AUS Freephone) if you’d like to discuss further.

The accommodation on the Coromandel Explorer guided walk is based on twin share, so two walkers to a room. If you’d prefer to have your own room, a single supplement fee of $300 NZD applies – that’s for the whole trip, not per night. Please select the single supplement option in the online booking form. This will ensure you have a room to yourself. If you’re happy to share, you will be placed in a twin room with another adventure-buddy of the same gender, in separate beds. Private room upgrades are subject to availability and are best booked early.

If you’d like to speak to one of our team, please just give us a call or send us an email.

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: +64 7 533 3157 – international
• Call: 0800 925 569 (WALK NZ) – New Zealand freephone
• Call: 1800 646 584 – Australian freephone

We’ll send you through a full packing list with your formal booking confirmation email within 24 hours after you book online. This will cover what to bring for the days, and nights, that you’ll be in the great New Zealand outdoors. Here in the beautiful North Island, the climate is much friendlier than in the South Island. You won’t need to buy a lot of expensive gear that you’ll only use once. Just a few good quality items should stand you in good stead.

Do I Need Something Nice To Wear In The Evenings?

You’re on holiday after all, so why not!? Evening meals are not super formal occasions, so you could say the dress code is smart casual. Gents – no ties or dinner jackets required, but covered shoes are a good idea. Ladies – comfortable footwear and covered shoulders are advisable, evenings can cool off quickly.

Will I Need Hiking Boots Or Are Trail Runners Okay?

We recommend you bring hiking boots. Trail runners or running shoes would probably be okay on a few of the walks we do, but it’s best to bring one pair of shoes that will serve you well on all the types of terrain we’ll visit on the Coromandel Explorer guided hiking tour. After periods of rain certain sections of trail can be muddy, so hiking boots will be best to tackle this. On the day where we do the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail/The Pinnacles track hiking boots are a must-have.

Can I Borrow Gear From You?

Yes! We have raincoats, day packs and pairs of hiking poles that you are welcome to borrow for the trip. Some companies charge you extra for this, but we offer it as a complimentary addition. We ask that you let us know in advance what you’d like to borrow and we’ll have it ready for you on Day 1. We don’t carry all of our hire equipment with us on each tour, we’ll only bring what has been requested, so it’s imperative that you request this before departure.

Evening meals on the Coromandel Explorer are served in a fully covered, semi-enclosed alfresco dining space. There are outdoor heaters, lighting, comfortable seats and full height rain screens but if we encounter windy weather, it’s best to bring an extra layer to wear to dinner.

We visit a local restaurant for an evening meal on night 3, so it’s a good idea to have something nice to wear out to dinner. Above all, they’re super informal occasions, so you could say the dress code is smart casual. Gents – no ties or dinner jackets required, but covered shoes are a good idea. Ladies – comfortable footwear and covered shoulders are advisable, but not enforced.

If you suffer from car-sickness, don’t worry. In general, the roads we travel are well-maintained, bitumen-surfaced single carriageways. Sections of road on the Coromandel Peninsula can be curvy, but the road surface is smooth and well-maintained. Only short sections are loose gravel. If you prefer to sit in the front seat to help your car sickness, please do tell your guide! We will do whatever we can to make you more comfortable.

If you suffer from car sickness, please equip yourself with whatever remedies you prefer to use to alleviate the discomfort. The best time to purchase medicinal supplies is the day before we leave.

There’s no need to pay in full at the time of booking. We ask just a $300 NZD deposit, per person per walk, to secure a spot on your chosen date. When you make a booking online through our website, you’ll have the option of paying the minimum $300 NZD deposit, or the full balance. You’re welcome to pay the full balance at the time of booking if that suits you best, but it’s not mandatory. The remaining balance is due to be settled around 30 days before departure. Don’t worry, we’ll send an email reminder about a week beforehand and make sure everything is okay before we proceed.

We’ve provided a handy guide to our booking process in our blog, you’ll find lots of helpful information there. We are particularly good at making group bookings smooth and clean for group organisers, so if you’ve got a big group and the administrative burden is weighing you down, let us give you a hand to simplify it all.

Take a look through our full terms and conditions for additional information, or just get in touch with our friendly team on 0800 925 569 (WALK NZ) or 1800 646 584 (AUS Freephone) to discuss further.

Ready to book? To nab your spot on the Coromandel Explorer guided hiking tour, visit our direct booking page and get it locked in!