NZ Bach Blogs

After car trouble in Northland we were intending on returning via Aotea, again another area of NZ we had never explored.  When we explain our predicament to the owners/managers they were kind enough to push our accommodation out to the next night and we rocked in at 1:30am, to yet another Bookabach find.  The place was lite up for us and the key in the door, clearly this is a trusting part of NZ.

Having driven in,  in the pitch black we weren’t able to really see much so after a good night’s sleep we woke up to this very lovely sea side village.  This was the seaside town we all remember from our childhoods.  Families all just hanging out in the sun, dogs and kids doing what dogs and kids do.  Dads in the obligatory summer uniform of singlets, shorts and jandels and of course keeping hydrated while in various stages of preparing to fish.  Mums fussing over reluctant children, sunscreen in one hand, wine in the other.

The bach was more of a motel unit, three in total but they were simple, clean and functional, again it wasn’t fenced for dogs, but that didn’t matter as we found out that dogs had the lay of the land (if their owners let them).  We had our friend’s small puppy of 12 months Billy as well as our own small dog who is six.  Billy headed off in search of some more friends and he found several including a few big dogs, it was a doggy paradise.

Apart from being a doggy paradise, it’s also one of the friendliest place I have been with everybody waving out to you.  We gathered the dogs from their various new friends houses and jumped in the car and headed to the nearest shop at Kawhia.  I got the feeling in Kawhia that they weren’t so dog friendly with signs up saying no dogs allowed on the beach and the park.

We put the dogs on a short lead and headed off for a walk around the shops. We brought supplies at the local  Four Square and headed across the road to the cafe for lunch.  It was reasonably priced and not too bad for lunch and while I didn’t have an icecream I saw them coming out of the shop and they were the biggest ones we have ever seen.  We went next door to the art gallery and brought and original piece by a local artist at a good price and the over the road again I brought a lovely flax flower made by the owner who had won at WOW.

Back to the bach and we meet the owners who were lovely and down to earth, they said stay as long as we wanted that day as we were due to check out but we opted to stay another night so we could relax even more.  Off to the beach which there was access from where we were staying.  The wind was up but that didn’t stop us from going for a dip as they day was still very warm.

For dinner we had takeaways from Kawhia which were very good, then a relaxing night in before our 7 hour drive the next day.  I would definitely recommend Sunset Retreat, it’s not big but it’s clean and a good base.

❉ Roddy & Sarah

I found this place on Bookabach which is my most favorite holiday house website.  We stayed from December 30th 2016 to January 5th 2017.

We had never spent any real time in this part of Northland  before and what I can say about Hokianga Harbour is it’s breathtaking.  As you get to the top of the hill from driving through Waipou forest, it’s a magnificent site of green lush forests, magnificent sand dunes and beautiful water.

We checked into Wistful on Waianga early at 12:30pm, the normal time was around 2pm but I had text the owners and asked if we could come early and they kindly let us.

I was firstly drawn to the view out to the water, which was an amazing colour.   It’s pet friendly so I assumed it would be fenced so I was a little unnerved when we found it wasn’t, there were local dogs that seem to wander around and I guess they knew the road rules, but our dogs didn’t so we had to improvise some borders to keep them on the property, with varying degrees of success.  The house is next to the school which is great for a run around with the kids.

We loved reading the history and visiting the historical sites of the region so  If you are looking for a slower pace for a more relaxing holiday away from the baying crowds that tend to flock to the Far North at this time of year, then the “Hoki”  is perfect.   The water is warm and great for swimming, the fishing productive and the locals warm and  friendly.

There is still plenty to do and see and if the need arises that you need a emergency ice-cream, coffee, beer, wine or takeaway there are just enough to satisfy your needs, no more, no less and the prices surprisingly fair.  Special mention to the Opo fish and chips for the great fish, (but you may have to order a couple hours ahead, such is the demand).  Also a yell out to the the Opo Four Square for it very reasonable prices for beer and wine and also Waimamaku’s Cafe who does good coffee and pancakes.

We went fishing off the wharf next to the Copthorne and caught yellowfin tuna.  We also had cocktails at the Copthorne out on the deck which was a lovely spot.  You could probably take your kids down and have lunch or dinner and let them swim in the pool.

The trees out the front do distract from the view a little in our humble opinion. The noise from the road can also interfere with your peace a little.  However the house is airy and great for entertaining and relaxing.

The compendium was great reading and made us laugh and the Manager/ Owners were very helpful and accommodating.

❉ Roddy & Sarah