Tairua is a beachside town located on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand in the Thames-Coromandel District.

The earliest occupation of the area was once thought to have been by early Polynesian explorers based on the discovery of a pearl-shell (not native to New Zealand) lure shank found here[5] and originally carbon-dated to the 11th century.

Early European settlers to the area, in the late 19th century, were primarily drawn by timber stocks (predominantly kauri) and gold prospecting.

[8] From the late 1960s Tairua has become a holiday destination,[8] with major activities including game fishing, scuba diving, and surfing.

[13] Tairua features an extremely mild oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) with no month having an average temperature above 20 °C or below 10 °C.

As a result of this, temperatures above 30 °C or below 0 °C are almost unheard of with the town being a popular holiday location because of its mild weather, beautiful beaches and rugged hills and mountains.

These surrounding hills and mountains also cause the city to see significant rainfall throughout the year, especially in winter which can often lead to flooding and slips which isolate the community (almost annually) for a day or two at a time.

Native rainforests are nearby, and areas such as the Coromandel Forest Park and its Broken Hills are within easy reach of the town.