COROMANDEL PENINSULA

peninsula, east central North Island, New Zealand. Extending into the South Pacific Ocean for 70 mi (110 km) and averaging 20 mi in width, the promontory is bordered by the Firth of Thames and Hauraki Gulf to the west and the Bay of Plenty to the east. The Coromandel Range (90 mi long) rises to 2,926 ft (892 m) at Mt. Moehau (on the peninsula) and to 3,126 ft at Mt. Te Aroha further south. Capt. James Cook landed on the east coast's Mercury Bay to observe the transit of that planet in 1769. One of the area's largest settlements, Whitianga, lies on the Bay of Plenty. Coromandel, the second major settlement and site of gold discovery in 1852, lies to the west. In the second half of the 19th century the peninsula's dense forests were systematically cut down. The promontory supports sheep and dairy farms and is a favourite area for tourists from Auckland (40 mi northwest).