At the intersection of State Highways 2 and 26, Paeroa is the
central service location for the Hauraki District with the town
being a midway stop for those travelling between Auckland and
Tauranga.
About half way between Auckland and Tauranga, Paeroa is also the
southern gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula, the eastern gateway
to the Bay of Plenty and the Karangahake Gorge.
Some Interesting local History:
Criterion Hotel Paeroa.
Picture dated circa 1875
This first-class hotel is situated in Normanby Road, and is a
fine two-storey building containing on the ground floor a
commercial room, twenty-five by twenty-nine feet, a dining room,
twenty-nine by page 849 thirty feet, a bar, three parlours, and
seven bedrooms.
A splendid staircase leads to the first floor, on which there
are twenty-four bedrooms, drawing-room, smoking-room, three
sitting-rooms, bath-room, lavatories, etc.
The private drawing and sitting-rooms, combined with a first-class
cuisine, make it an ideal family hotel, while for commercial
purposes the sample-rooms are the most commodious in Paeroa.
A large and newly-furnished billiard-room is connected with the
hotel.
It even had its own Wharf to the River behind.
Picture circa 2009.
Sadly ,due to to the run down state of the old Criterion and its
loss of character,it was decided to uneconomical to refurbish.
In June 2010 it was demolished and controlled burned by the
Paeroa fire brigade.
Recycled pieces of interest made their way to the Paeroa
Museum.
Picture taken December 2010...McDonalds now presides on this
site.. 
"Paeroa has long been world-famous in New Zealand for the
fizzy L & P drink it gave its name to – but now it is
poised to get the burgers, fries and shakes as well."