Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wave Haven
( 06-752 7800;
www.thewavehaven.co.nz
;
cnr Lower Ahu Ahu Rd & SH45; dm/s/d from $25/50/60; )
A
surfie backpackers close to the big breaks, this colonial charmer has a coffee machine, a
large deck to chill out on, surfboards, a couple of affable Newfoundland dogs and empty
wine bottles strewn about the place.
HOSTEL
$
HOLIDAY PARK
$
Oakura Beach Holiday Park
( 06-752 7861;
www.oakurabeach.com
; 2 Jans Tce; campsites from $20, cabins $70-140; )
Squeezed
between the cliffs and the sea, this classic beachside park caters best to caravans but has
simple cabins and well-placed spots to pitch a tent (absolute beachfront!).
Oakura Beach Motel
( 06-752 7680;
www.oakurabeachmotel.co.nz
;
53 Wairau Rd; d from $115, extra person $20; )
A very quiet,
seven-unit motel set back from the main road, just three minutes' walk to the beach. It's a
'70s number, but the Scottish owners keep things shipshape, and there are 300 DVDs to
choose from.
MOTEL
$$
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
$$$
Ahu Ahu Beach Villas
( 06-752 7370;
www.ahu.co.nz
;
321 Lower Ahu Ahu Rd; d from $270; )
Pricey, but pretty amazing.
Set on a knoll overlooking the big wide ocean, these luxury, architect-designed villas are
superbly eccentric, with huge recycled timbers, bottles cast into walls, lichen-covered
French tile roofs and polished-concrete floors with inlaid paua. A new lodge addition
sleeps four. Rock stars stay here!
Eating
Carriage Café
( 06-752 7226; 1143 SH45; meals $10-20; 8.30am-3pm)
Housed in a very slow-moving 1914
railway carriage set back from the main street, this is an unusual stop for good-value
breakfast stacks, bacon-and-egg pies and cheese scones. Good coffee, too.
CAFE
$
Cafe Mantra
( 06-752 7303;
www.cafemantra.co.nz
;
1131 SH45; mains $14-23; 7.30am-2pm & 4.30-10pm)
'Let the
good times roll' is the mantra at this roadside Indian cafe, which treads cross-cultural lines
INDIAN
$$
