Colville

Colville combines a quiet rural present with a varied local history and trips to the coast. The small town serves a local community of farmers and artists. In the surrounding area, you’ll find long beaches, walking tracks and a diverse coastal landscape; in the town itself, you can explore its history and landscape together.

Colville: timber history and rural life

In the pioneering era, Colville was a busy timber town. In the 1970s, the area’s natural beauty and remoteness attracted hippies to the town. These two chapters in its history tell of different sides of Colville: working with timber, and later the appeal of a remote, nature-rich setting. Today, the town’s quiet rural character is shaped by its role serving the local community of farmers and artists.

Foreshore Walk: coastal scenery and traces of the past

The Colville Foreshore Walk passes farmland and wetlands. Along the way, you can watch coastal birds foraging and look for old pā sites in the hills. This brings observations of the coastal landscape together with signs of the past on a single route. If you’re interested in the landscape as well as its cultural traces, you’ll find both brought together here in a specific walking route.

Nearby Cape Colville also reveals several facets of the landscape: regenerating native forest, dense bush, farmland and rocky coastal sections. The area includes both land with a high level of protection and a protected seabed area. If you’re planning activities there, check the current rules before your visit.

Beaches, tracks and different ways to spend the day

Port Jackson is a long, expansive beach that’s popular for camping and fishing. Check the camping and access conditions before you travel. Nearby Waikawau Bay has a wide sandy beach suited to swimming, diving and fishing. Water conditions there vary by season and weather. The two beaches therefore offer different options: Port Jackson combines a beach with camping and fishing, while Waikawau Bay also offers swimming and diving.

North of Colville, there are several walking tracks, ranging from 20-minute walks to half-day hikes. The options therefore range from a shorter walk to a longer block of time for a hike. Conditions on individual tracks can change, so take this into account when planning.

The Hike & Bike service to Port Jackson also allows for different activity plans: you can hire a bike or bring your own. You can also take a 4 km return walk on the Coromandel Coastal Walkway. The Hike & Bike shuttle to Port Jackson departs from 76 Wharf Road in Colville. For the Coromandel Coastal Walkway, Hike and Bike offers a guided option or a shuttle service from Colville. Check operating details, bike availability and the route offered before you travel.

Another loop track leads to the historic Colville Cemetery, about 25 km north of Colville, and an old Māori fish trap. The track also passes a wetland. The fish trap is visible at low tide up to mid-tide, so plan your visit around the tides.

A farm shop at the edge of town

At the end of Colville village is Hereford 'n' a Pickle, a family-run farm shop. It offers freshly brewed coffee, cakes, biscuits, sandwiches, pickles, jams, chutneys and preserves. Meat and produce come directly from the family farm. If you’d like to visit the shop, check its operating details beforehand; the availability of individual products may change.

Choose a holiday rental to suit your travel style

When looking for a holiday rental in Colville, it’s worth first deciding what you want to focus on during your trip: local history and the Foreshore Walk, beaches and water activities, or walks of different lengths.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Te Puru, Hikutaia, Whenuakite, Tapu, Hahei, Hot Water Beach, Cooks Beach, Opoutere.

Return to the main travel overview: Thames-Coromandel District.