Coromandel Discovery began operations on 1 April 1993 with two old Bedford buses. Then known as Strongman Coachlines, owners Jocelyn and Nigel Strongman’s focus was on running the local school bus service.
In 1995, their fleet was increased to six buses and they commenced charter and tour work. Potential was seen in the tourism market with visitors from other parts of New Zealand and around the world taking an interest in the uniqueness of Coromandel Township and the beautiful scenery of the wider Coromandel region.
A very successful travel club was established to meet the demands of the domestic travel market. In 1997, a joint venture with an Auckland based tour company brought about an all-new tour combining ferry travel from Auckland with a tour of Coromandel Town. These tours ran seasonally until 2003 when 360 Discovery (then known as Kawau Kat) purchased the ferry service and began running tours all year round.
In 2000, a walking tour was introduced showcasing the stunning scenery at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula. The Coromandel Coastal Walkway is a Department of Conservation walking track linking Fletcher Bay and Stony Bay at the northernmost tip of the Peninsula. This tour enables visitors to access this remote spot without the worry of taking their own transport.
In December 2007 Coromandel Discovery were awarded a Qualmark endorsement. This enables visitors, both domestic and international, to recognise the business as one with a higher level of standards. We actively encourage visitors to give us feedback so that we may assess whether we can improve our operations still further, and we recommend that you read our client feedback page to find out what our customers are saying about us.
Nigel & Jocelyn
Nigel has been part of the Coromandel Town Community all his life. He is 4th generation Coromandelite. Nigel was a member of the Coromandel/Colville Community Board 1984 - 1987.
Jocelyn married Nigel and joined him in Coromandel Town in 1991. Throughout the years they have contributed to the community in a variety of ways. Jocelyn was involved in the Independent Living Trust between 1991-1997 which involved organising and providing transportation of patients to Waikato/Thames. For some 2 years, Jocelyn was Secretary of the Coromandel Business Association. She was also a member of the Woman's section of the RSA between 2000 and 2004 and undertook the role of Secretary during that time. Nigel has belonged to the local Lions Club since 1985 and held the position of President 3 times, Tale Twister twice and Bulletin Editor twice.
Both Jocelyn and Nigel were also St John Ambulance officers, Jocelyn for 27 years and Nigel for 13 years.
Today Nigel continues to be a member of Lions Club and Jocelyn is in the process of going through membership procedures for this club. Jocelyn joined Forest and Bird in 2005 to assist with their good work in protecting our native plants, animals and waters. Both are very aware of what it means to be responsible tourism operators and continually review their business practices to ensure what they do has no or minimal adverse impact on the environment. They are recent members of Kauri 2000 Trust and will continue to support this organisation.
As members of Tourism Coromandel, Jocelyn and Nigel and the rest of their Coromandel Discovery team work with other businesses to effect change in the community. They also have strong relationships with those tourism operators who are included in their tours eg Driving Creek Railway, Coromandel Gold Centre & Stamper Battery and Waiau Waterworks .
And the local children don't miss out either! Jocelyn and Nigel sponsor the kids page in the local Chronicle every month to ensure everyone gets a dose of 'Coromandel Discovery' fun!