Colville is a quiet country town serving a local community of farmers and artists. Located at the northern end of Coromandel Peninsula it sits amongst beautiful isolated beaches and remote forest trails.

In pioneering days, Colville was a busy timber milling town. Then in the 1970s it became a magnet for hippies drawn to the natural beauty and isolation of the area. And now it retains a hippy flavour  and welcomes tourists experiencing the beauty of the local area.

North of Colville, the road winds along the western shoreline where the Moehau (Sleeping Wind) Range rises steeply from the sea. Most of the bays in the area have tent camping sites.

At the western tip of the peninsula, Port Jackson (Poihakene) is a long, spacious beach that is popular for camping and fishing. Fletcher Bay, situated at the north-east tip of the peninsula, is rich with legends of shipwrecks, mariners, gold and gum digging. Between them, Cape Colville looks out on the Watchman, Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands.

The farm park camp site at nearby Waikawau Bay, has access to a sweeping sandy beach. The beach is good for swimming, diving and fishing. In the breeding season it is home to New Zealand dotterel and variable oystercatcher birds.

There are several walkways in the area north of Colville, ranging from 20-minute strolls to half-day hikes.