Paeroa, borough, northern North Island, New Zealand. It is situated along the Ohinemuri River near its junction with the Waihou.
Paeroa (from a Maori word meaning “long ridge”) was founded in the early 1880s as a port for the Ohinemuri goldfield, 5 miles (8 km) southeast. Mining was shifted to the underground Komata Reefs (6 miles [10 km] northeast) from 1891 to the 1930s. Gazetted a borough in 1915, Paeroa was regularly served by river shipping until 1947.
It is a hub of rail lines and highways to Auckland and Tauranga. Basically a farming centre, Paeroa is nationally known for its mineral drinking water. Pop. (2006) 3,978; (2012 est.) 4,200.