A narrow, well-sheltered inlet on the Coromandel's western shore, about 1¾ hours from Westhaven at 20 knots. Here's how to get there, where to anchor and what's nearby.
Updated October 2026 · By the Daily Boats team
Te Kouma Harbour sits just south of Coromandel Harbour, across the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland. Cruising guides rate it one of the best harbours on the Coromandel coast: about 1.5 nautical miles long, only a quarter of a mile wide, with mud bottoms and green hills all round.
About 35 nm from Westhaven
About 1¾ hours at 20 knots
Squadron Bay, good holding in mud
Mussel farms and shallows
None in the harbour
Coromandel Harbour, Whanganui Island, Motukawao Islands
This is a longer trip than a typical Daily day out. Talk to the Daily team before planning it.
From Westhaven, head out past North Head and run east, either through Tāmaki Strait and the Waiheke Channel or along Waiheke's northern side. Both routes come to roughly 35 nautical miles, so allow about 1¾ hours at 20 knots. Plan your fuel for the round trip and keep a reserve.
Waiheke makes an easy halfway stop (see our guide to boating to Waiheke Island). From its eastern end, the open-water leg to the Coromandel is around 11 nautical miles, about 35 minutes at 20 knots.
Castle Hill, a 518-metre peak with a square rocky top, makes a good landmark. Coromandel Harbour's entrance lies between Esk Point and Tawhiti Point, with Whanganui Island sheltering it from the west. Te Kouma lies just south of Esk Point.
The crossing has no shelter, so check the forecast and be ready to wait a day if it's blowing. Wind against tide can kick up a short, uncomfortable sea, and at 20 knots sea state matters more than wind direction for comfort.
The eastern half is shallow; the best anchorages are the northern coves of the western half.
Just inside Kouma Head. Clean and deep, but open to the south-west and gusty in strong northerlies.
The next bay east, and the favourite. Very good holding in mud.
Also good, but watch for a large patch of drying rocks off its western point.
Ranger Bay has good depth and shelter from southerlies. Name Bay suits south-westerlies but shoals quickly. Dig your anchor in well in the soft mud.
Sugarloaf Wharf at Te Kouma is a busy commercial mussel wharf with a public boat ramp, so expect work boats. Give farms a wide berth and never anchor among the longlines. Manaia Harbour, just south, is shallow and heavily farmed, so it's no place to anchor.
Coromandel town sits in the harbour's north-east corner. There are extensive mussel farms along the southern shore from Esk Point to Pa Point, and along Whanganui Island east of Tawhiti Point.
The best anchorages are under Whanganui Island. Woolshed Bay and the bay to its west both have good holding in mud. Deep Cove, on the island's north-west side, is good in southerly to easterly winds but can be squally in a fresh easterly.
About 10 nautical miles north of Te Kouma (about 30 minutes at 20 knots). Elephant Cove on Motukahaua (Happy Jack Island) gives shelter in northerlies. In settled high-pressure weather, the wind often swings south overnight.
Since 2025 these waters have been a High Protection Area, so there's no fishing or taking anything. The islands are privately owned, so you need the owners' permission to land.
There are normally no shops in Te Kouma Harbour. The Auckland ferry lands at Hannafords Wharf, Te Kouma, and its shuttle takes about 20 minutes to drive into Coromandel town, so town isn't a stroll from the anchorage.
You can reach town by dinghy, but plan around the tide. The harbour shallows towards town and the creek dries, so it's only practical near high tide. From Whanganui Island it's a long ride, so take plenty of fuel and wear lifejackets.
Exotic caulerpa has been found at Great Mercury Island, Cuvier Island and in the northern Coromandel between Fantail Bay and Square Top Island. When we checked, there were no Controlled Area rules for Te Kouma or Coromandel Harbour, but there is one off Waiheke's Onetangi Bay and Thompsons Point, where you must check and clean your anchor and chain before moving on. Wherever you anchor, check for seaweed, bag anything you find and bin it ashore. Rules change, so check biosecurity.govt.nz/caulerpa before you go.
Before landing on any Gulf island, check the boat, dinghy and bags for rodents, ants and skinks, and clean soil and seeds off footwear. Report pests on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
Check the MetService marine forecast before leaving and before heading home.
Log a trip report with Coastguard on the app, by calling *500 or on VHF.
Use VHF channel 16, which Maritime Radio monitors 24/7, or call 111.
Day 1: Westhaven to Te Kouma, about 35 nm (about 1¾ hours at 20 knots). Anchor in Squadron Bay.
Day 2: lunch under Whanganui Island and a high-tide dinghy trip into town.
Day 3: home to Westhaven, about 35 nm (about 1¾ hours).
Day 1: Westhaven to Waiheke for an easy first night.
Day 2: cross to Te Kouma, about 11 nm from Waiheke's eastern end (about 35 minutes).
Day 3: Coromandel Harbour and a high-tide trip into town.
Day 4: north to the Motukawao Islands, about 10 nm (about 30 minutes), then back to Te Kouma unless it's settled.
Day 5: home to Westhaven, about 35 nm (about 1¾ hours).
Daily members boat on Buccaneer 635 HT hardtops kept in their own berths at Westhaven, Pine Harbour and Gulf Harbour, and new members do a sea trial when they join. For the Coromandel, Pine Harbour is the closer base, already on the eastern side of Tāmaki Strait.
See how it works, our boats, membership options and more Destinations.
Planning note: distances and motoring times are approximate and assume an average of 20 knots; they vary with the boat, load, sea state and wind. Always check charts, the MetService marine forecast, tide times and local notices, including Biosecurity New Zealand's caulerpa rules, before you set out.
Photos (Wikimedia Commons): Coromandel Harbour by Ulrich Lange, CC BY 3.0; Te Kouma Harbour by Ingolfson, public domain; Whanganui Island and Woolshed Bay by LawrieM, CC BY-SA 4.0; Coromandel ferry wharf by Ingolfson, public domain.
Daily members boat from Westhaven, Pine Harbour and Gulf Harbour on fully maintained Buccaneer 635 HTs, without the cost of owning one. Plans from $470 a month.