Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Matakana village is a 10km drive northeast of Warkworth along Matakana Rd; there's no
public transport. Ferries for Kawau Island leave from Sandspit, 8km east of Warkworth
along Sandspit Rd.
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Leigh
POP 390
boats, and a decent swimming beach at
Matheson Bay
. Long-standing
Goat Island Dive & Snorkel
( 0800 348 369;
www.goatislanddive.co.nz
; 142a Pakiri Rd; mask, snorkel & fin hire $22, dive trips incl equipment
$110-250, PADI Open Water $499)
offers PADI courses and boat dive trips in the Hauraki Gulf
throughout the year.
Apart from its proximity to Goat Island, the town's other claim to fame is the legendary
Leigh Sawmill
( 09-422 6019;
www.sawmillcafe.co.nz
; 142 Pakiri Rd; mains $14-35; 10am-late daily
Jan-mid-Feb, 10am-3pm Mon-Wed & 10am-late Thu-Sun mid-Feb-Mar, 10am-late Thu-Sun Apr-Nov)
, a spunky
little pub and beer garden that's a regular stop on the summer rock circuit, sometimes at-
tracting surprisingly big names. If you imbibe too much at the on-site
microbrewery
(
1.30-5pm Fri & Sat)
, there's accommodation inside the old sawmill shed, including basic back-
packer rooms (from $25) and massive doubles with en suites (from $125). Alternatively,
you can rent the Cosy Sawmill Family Cottage (from $300, sleeps 10).
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Goat Island Marine Reserve
Only 3km from Leigh, this 547-hectare aquatic area was established in 1975 as the coun-
try's first marine reserve. In less than 40 years the sea has reverted to a giant aquarium,
giving an impression of what the NZ coast must have been like before humans arrived.
You only need step knee deep into the water to see snapper (the big fish with blue dots
and fins), blue maomao and stripy parore swimming around. There are dive areas all
round Goat Island, which sits just offshore, or you can snorkel or dive directly from the
beach.
Excellent interpretive panels explain the area's Maori significance (it was the landing
place of one of the ancestral canoes) and provide pictures of the species you're likely to
