Access

Stony Bay is at the roadend, 27km from Colville and 9km past Port Charles. From Colville the road is unsealed. The track starts from the carpark/kiosk next to the concrete ford at the Stony Bay campground and is signposted.

There are toilet facilities at the campground.

Fletcher Bay is at the roadend, 36km from Colville and 7km past Port Jackson. The road from Colville is unsealed. The track starts from the carpark/kiosk in the middle of the campground and is signposted.

There are toilet facilities at the campground.

Track

From Stony Bay to Fletcher Bay, The track is well-formed for its entire length and frequently signposted. For the first 1-1½ hours the gradient is gentle. It then drops into and climbs steeply out of Poley Bay. The final stretch to Fletcher Bay traverses farmland. Follow the timber bollards.

From Fletcher Bay to Stony Bay, the track follows the timber bollards over farmland for the first 45 minutes. It then drops down into Poley Bay. After a steep climb out, the track is of a gentle gradient down to Stony Bay.

Approximately half way along the track there is a worthwhile 5-minute detour to a lookout.

Geology

The focus of volcainc activity on the Coromandel Peninsula would have been centred near Fletcher Bay around 18 million years ago. An andesitic volcanic cone once dominated the area, the remnants of which now form Sugar Loaf Rock and the Pinnacles.

Fauna

Dense areas of manuka and kanuka are providing nursery conditions for pohuehue and ponga to recolonise. In the gullies the vegetation becomes lusher with abundant nikau palms.

European History

The Old Fencer’s Hut is an interesting relic from the days when the first settlers farmed the area.