Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There are plenty of charter boats for game-fishing (December to April); prices start at
around $1200 a day. If you're planning to hook a monster, insist on it being released once
caught - striped marlin and swordfish are among NZ's least-sustainable fishing options.
An excellent 20-minute hike starts from the car park at the end of Old Hospital Rd and
goes up
St Paul's Rock
(213m), which dominates the village. At the top you have to use a
wire cable to pull yourself up, but the views make it worth the effort.
The
Wairakau Stream Track
, heading north to Pekapeka Bay, begins near the church hall on
Campbell Rd in Totara North on the other side of the bay. It's an extremely beautiful, un-
developed stretch and you can cool off in swimming holes along the way. The two-hour
hike passes through forest, an abandoned farm and around a steep-walled estuary before
16 beds, plus composting toilets. Bring everything else and reserve well ahead; it's usually
booked out by Kiwi families over summer.
Duke's Nose Track
(1ΒΌ hours return) starts behind the cottage and leads up Kairara Rocks;
look for the Duke of Wellington's aquiline profile in the rock face. You'll need to haul
yourself up a chain for the last 10m but the views are worth it. If you don't fancy walking
back - or if you don't fancy walking at all -
Bushmansfriend
( 09-405 1844;
www.bushmansfriend.co.nz
)
arranges water taxis from Lane Cove ($20) and one-hour boat tours
($45).
On the other side of the harbour's north head is
Taupo Bay
, a surf beach that attracts a
loyal Kiwi contingent in summer. On easterly swells, there are quality righthanders to surf
at the southern end of the bay, by the rivermouth. It's reached by an 11km sealed road
signposted from SH10.
Sleeping & Eating
HOSTEL
$
Kahoe Farms Hostel
( 09-405 1804;
www.kahoefarms.co.nz
;
dm $30, r $76-96)
On SH10, 10km north of the turn-off to
Whangaroa, this hostel has a deservedly great reputation - for its comfortable accommod-
ation, for its bucolic setting, for its home-cooked Italian food, but mostly for its welcom-
ing owners. The backpackers cottage is great, but slightly up the hill there's an even more
impressive villa with excellent-value en suite rooms.
Sunseeker Lodge
HOSTEL
$
