On the way up the coast to Coromandel is a little village called Tapu. It is roughly 20k’s up the coast from Thames and has two motor camps and a free parking area on the beach.
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The Parking area
I pulled in to the free parking area on the way up the coast and joined with three other overnighters nicely backed into the trees looking out at the amazing beach.
Nice beach
Several of the other Motorhomers had Kayaks and were out fishing off the beach from their Kayaks when I popped in.
A great spot and the price can’t be beaten .. Free!
Leaving Rawene early, I headed out through quite thick fog towards Russell. “The Maui Convoy” was due back today from a quick 24 hr excursion through Manganui, staying overnight at the Hihi Holiday Park which they all raved about so I must do a trip up there sometime soon.
The guys on the ferry did a great job on trying to get Rafe over to Russell without scraping the back but getting off was a big long scraping metal sound…. horrible but there was no damage.. just a cleaning of some dirt off the chassis.
My sideways park up the top
Once I was happy there was no harm done, I set off to Russell and checked in at the Top 10 who are doing quite a good off season rate if you give them a few days notice.
Great view.. taken the next morning.
The parks are a bit smaller but they found one that suited Rafe’s nearly 8 metres and the view was spectacular. All the parks have a grey water waste gully trap and everything is absolutely in tip top order.
I plugged in, opened some hatches for some fresh air and set off into the town which is just a few minutes walk. Its a special place here with the History and the old buildings.
Looking across towards Paihia
I wasn’t long down there when one in the convoy Grant rang to announce his arrival and was on his way down to set up a tennis game. All those in the convoy are members of the Ngataringa Tennis Club in Devonport.
Grant .. all concentration
So we sat in the plastic chairs (the Grandstand) on the court for a Wimbledon experience 🙂
The fans In the Grandstand
I didn’t catch who the winners were but we were then off to the Duke of Marlborough to watch the rugby being played at Eden Park. Great game..
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Looking down over the park
The Kitchen dining room
Looking up at the Kitchen area
Looking down at the lower parking area.
Colourful bins
Big park
The finish.. Dave, Craig, Grant and Paul
Craig playing a shot
Grant off for a shower
One of the drivers Malcolm who was travelling with his wife Bonny is a real gem on the piano. They live in Whitianga. Malcolm found a grand piano in the bar and off he went. Everybody was hugely impressed and with a few glasses of wine behind us, it was a whole lot of fun !
We were all starting to get a bit hungry and there was no food left at the Duke so we adjourned to the Sportfishing club next door where they whipped up some fantastic meals for us.
The Duke !
This was the last day of the Convoy. All the vans had to be handed in at 2;30pm in Mangere the next day!
Grant off for a shower
A bit of pool playing and then we walked back to the Holiday Park.
A great day and a lovely town. Coming here for just one day as we did is not a very clever idea, I’ll have to come back for more 🙂
This is an amazing little town with some of it built out over the water.
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The supermarket !
This is where the car ferry leaves for Kohukohu on the northern shores of the Hokianga Harbour.
While the convoy was doing the tourist thing at Opononi, I headed off and got checked in at the Rawene Holiday park which is right up on the top of the hill. Its about a 20 minute walk down to the town and bit longer to get back 🙂
Parked with a great view
I got Rafe settled and headed off down to the township to have a look around. I found a café and sat down in the sun with a coffee while I waited for the “Convoy”. About 20 minutes or so later, they rolled in one by one.
Most of the crew.. L to R Grant, Paul, Pete(standing), Malcolm (crouched in front), Craig, Cathy and Bonnie.and theyre off.
Its a fascinating town with the supermarket and several shops all built on piles over the water.
On the corner
As the mid day ferry arrived, they all boarded and were off. After getting a few piccies around the town, I headed off back to the camp and had a quiet time listening to some music.
Amazing place and loaded with history.
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Parked with a great view
A small BBQ area next to me
Entrace
Looking down to the motorhome parking
A pool for summer.
Later that day.. lovely sky
Downtown Rawene
A historic canoe
Cafe over the water
Nice old buildings
All aboard
Ready to go
and theyre off.
About 7pm, 3 Motorhomes turned up from the ferry and maneuvered their way around me to park in. It all seemed quite close but when I saw it in the morning, I could get out easily. It would have been awkward with any more. I think this is definitely a 7 metre limit camp unless there is no one else there.
The viewSome of the unusual cabins
A really nice helpful crew with some amazing quite unusual looking cabins and great view down the Hokianga from the parking area. The loos, showers and toilets are really good and close to the parking.
What a great spot. The Bachs are slowly turning into great houses, the colours are just magic.
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Good Colours
The Bayley’s Beach Holiday Park is the perfect spot there to stop the night with Sharkies Fish & Chip shop (and bar) just up the road. It is also taking part in the Camp Saver program.
A little mud but pretty good really given the huge amount of rain.
Unfortunately with all the rain, it was a bit wet but there was no danger of getting stuck.
The loos with the best view
An easy 15 minute walk out of a back gate takes you down to the amazing beach which goes for miles in each direction. After parking Rafe, I went for a walk down to the beach and then onto Sharkies for tea.
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Looking North
Endless beach
The loos with the best view
Good Colours
One of the local Baches
A few Cabins too.
A little mud but pretty good really given the huge amount of rain.
I was following some friends of mine who had all hired a Maui Motorhome for the 3 day special and were doing a frantic 800 k odd trip around Northland. I was going to catch up with them the next day in Dargaville and then follow them through Opononi and onto Russell. They were heading further North and catching up later.. a fun trip but lots of driving.
The CampgroundGood for the kids
It was actually quite windy down at the beach but the campground was well sheltered.
In the morning I headed back into Dargaville to wait for the Maui Convoy 🙂
That’s Hahei! one of my favorite spots to stay but it has been a while since I’ve been here..
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The Beach
Arriving at Hahei and checking in with Cathy at the front desk was easy and she directed me to a great spot right behind the dunes by the beach. Cathy’s husband Grant is General Manager and it was really nice to chat to them both. With the Covid 19 lockdown, the NZMCA Camp Saver program has given them a welcome boost to their numbers.. You can only imagine the effect the lack of tourists would make to the bottom line for a big park like this so great that its working for them.
Grant and Cathy
The last time I was here was with friends from Taupo and Snells Beach but that was way back in 2017 according to Cathy’s records.. how time flies!
The weather was due to deteriorate but I had the day to check the place out and there is plenty of it.
Great Outlook
Just down the road is Cathedral Cove which you can walk to. Fiona and I did this a few years ago and its well worth doing.
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Things to do
The Beach
Walk to the beach
Looking out
The Spa pool over the bay
Lots of room.. it filled in later
Cabins
New covered BBQ area
Since I was last here, there is a Spa pool available now right on the crest of the dunes next to the beach which looks out over the bay to the Islands beyond. What a nice idea and I bet its popular in the peak season. There is also a BBQ hut with shelter looking out over the bay too..
The spa
Its a huge park with some really nice Tourist flats at one end overlooking the beach. And just acres of parking spots.
The Tourist Flats
With more than 200 powered sites, there is lots of space with room between parks and easy access to them as well.
Just a lovely atmosphere, a fantastic beach and its just over a couple of hours from Auckland.
From the moment I stepped out of Rafe at Ruakaka Holiday Park, everything about this place is HUGE. There are more than 260 powered sites and the camp is spread out over 13 hectares. The camp is divided into several regions each having their own ablution blocks.
The land that it sits on and its layout and the views are absolutely sensational. Everywhere I looked I could see nice images.
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My view
It also is a participant in the NZMCA’s Camp saver program and owner Anne-Marie says it is working well for them. They also do off peak weekly stays too.
On the waterfront
I was interested to see their information sheet included how to park within your site to ensure that everyone has 3 metres separation. I think this is good news as many Holiday Parks parking is far to close for fire safety.
Great parking
I was a bit lucky to get one of the waterfront sites facing out to Marsden Point and Bream Head even though it was pretty exposed to the easterly nasties that came through, it was really nice to wake up to a great view when the weather played the game.
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On the other side of the peninsular
My view
A bit gloomy then
The weather wasn’t that flash with an amazing thunder and lightning storm coming through with showers before and after but there was enough fine weather to get some nice images.
Old friends Mark, Tina, Gary and Chris all live around the corner in Ruakaka beach so it a good opportunity to pop in and see them too.
And just around the corner
This campground though has it all.. the views and the sites are spectacular with great facilities.
Ruakaka Beach is just down the road and there is a Bird Sanctuary to walk through too.
It’s been a wee while since either of us have been in this part of the country so I was really looking forward to checking it out.
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The Awakeri Campground was great with the pool too but we were leaving that behind.. we arrived in Whakatane later in the morning and checked in and settled down.
Biking past the campground
This was a very different camp from Awakeri where the sites were a lot smaller but it was only $20 a night with power and had everything you would ever want in a fantastic location.
Easy Parking
Whakatane Holiday Park is pretty much right in the centre of town on the edge of the river, protected by a raised stop bank with a walking track on top which the locals seem to really enjoy.
Close by the townThe walking track around to the town
The track goes right into town and it is only 5 minutes away. All the White Island boat services and Tourist area is based on the edge of the river just along from the park. There is also the Gardens and a model train and playground set up there too.
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Catching up
Whakatane town
Neat Mural by the coffee shop
Some tourist cabins
Looking down from the wall
We enjoyed a good look through the shops and a cuppa in one of the coffee shops and then headed back to Rafe.
Dusk with the walkers
Later in the day, we met David and Michelle who were visiting in their near new Dethleffs Trend motorhome. This is their first motorhome and they were really enjoying it. Nice people and they popped over later for a drink. It was really nice to see them.
Rafe’s Tracker trail to the camp at Whakatane
Nice spot and really handy and great value with the Camp saver.
Over my boating years, we have had some amazing moments in both Bon Accord harbour at Kawau and around Kawau so being driven around on the ferry so we could have a good look with a commentary was a real treat.
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Lidgards and Kawau Yacht club
We left Rafe about 9:30 from the Sandspit Holiday Park and wandered along the road to the wharf to get our tickets and check in. So after having a cuppa at the café on the wharf we set off about 10:30 for Kawau.
Mansion House
Being an Island and only accessible by boat, Kawau Island has only a handful of roads and a handful of vehicles.
His and Hers
Almost all the houses only have water only access and the way they’ve been built either on top of a hill with their own chairlifts (think electric Wheely Bin on a rail 🙂 ) with a jetty at the bottom or on the water. Some of them are amazing but I suspect most would be either baches, occupied by retired folk or who don’t have to commute.
Kawau Yacht Club
We were on the Royal Mail boat which started at Vivian Bay in the north and worked its way around to Bon Accord Harbour and Mansion House Bay and then down to South Cove where there was mail to be dropped off. On the way back to Mansion House Bay for lunch, we passed the Old Copper Mine.
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Their own little harbour!
Passengers getting off at Mansion House
The descent of the wheelie bin!
Kawau was huge source of copper in the mid 1800’s with a community of around 300 related to the Mine and its output at its peak. By the 1800’s it all fizzled out and most of the miners moved on to the Gold Fields.
The remains of the Copper Mine
After a walk around the Mansion House and the coffee shop, we eventually made our way back to the ferry. It was nice barreling along at 15 knots in the sun with a glass of Pinot Gris in hand.
Friendly Peacocks on the lawn
We walked back to Rafe in the Sandspit Holiday Park and prepared ourselves for a meal at Sandspit Yacht Club.
They’ve had a lot of rain up here so the Sandspit Holiday Park crew suggested that we stick to one back from the water just to make sure we don’t sink!
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Nice parking
My old boating friend Alan and I were in need of some time out of the house so we decided a few days before to check out the Sandspit Holiday Park and do a trip to Kawau on the ferry. Sounded like a plan thought I so off we went early on the Friday afternoon. It is only 42k’s from Auckland and with little traffic, we were there at 3.30pm.
Its a lovely little park with a lot of permanent Baches and Caravans but what a neat spot.
With an NZMCA discount, it was $23 each a night. With their very new Showers and Kitchens, its a delight to stay at. There are a whole bunch of older interesting buildings there too and Horace the Morris is a feature as well.
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Snakes and Ladders anyone
Horace the Morris
One of the Quirky wee cottages you can stay in
Out of the way
kayaks available too
Rafe by the water
We stayed two nights with a ferry trip to Kawau in between. Lucky with the weather, after getting back from Kawau, we walked along to the newly setup restaurant on the top floor of the Sandspit Yacht Club and caught up with Motorhome friends Rob and Helen who live not far away from there.
The ferry a few minutes walk away.
The last time we were here, unbeknown to me, they had some issues with the drainage system for the bathrooms which used to be a real problem apparently in the height of summer.
The new Drainage system
This has all been upgraded and put up the hill out of the way and hasn’t been an issue since. Nice friendly hosts who were happy to help with anything. ..
A shot from the ferry. You can see Rafe in the middle.
A great spot and handy to the Kawau ferry and the new Marina at Sandspit.
The Netspeed Speedtest for here.
Download: 7.34 Mbps
Upload: 2.10 Mbps
Ping: 23 ms
I think the tower was playing up a bit as we had some difficulty with the connection over the two nights.
Yay .. its the end of lockdown.. we’re away again.. almost ! Here’s a couple more posts from early 2017 until we get away again.
We’d survived the weather as fortunately the storm veered away from Coromandel and left us with plenty of rain but no wind.
Debris after the storm
I woke up early on Good Friday and took Rafe around to the dump station and got prepared for the next few days at our prebooked beachfront site. Fiona was driving down to Ardmore to be picked up by Helen and Rob and they were due to arrive around the middle of the day. Rob was following in their new Autotrail Tracker with daughter Chloe.
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Our wee spot in paradise
When I arrived up at the beachfront site, there was another little Swift rental alongside. I jumped out to move a BBQ table out of the way and Eric from the Swift gave me a hand. Eric and his wife Mary Ann were from Victoria in Canada and were traveling around NZ.
About 11am, I received a call from Fiona to say that they had arrived and that the camp wouldn’t allow them to come in until 11:30. Seriously? This does nothing to create a holiday atmosphere!
Our little setup with the tables. The Tracker and Rafe
Half an hour went by and Rob brought the Tracker in to park. As Rafes door is on the right and the Trackers door is on the left, I suggested I move to Rob’s park so the doors faced each other. This turned out to work really well as Gary, Dianne, Neil, Christine and even Eric and Mary Ann all came around to join us for drinks and nibbles for several nights. A lot of fun.
Happy Hour. LtoR: Dianne, Gary, Fiona, Christine, Neil, Helen, Chloe and RobHappy at Hahei
Back to friday. As the day went on, the park got more people in but by Sunday morning, it was really only about 1/3rd full.
The Playground
Motorhomes parked behind us.
Beachfront cottages behind us.
Us at the end of the road.
Some white water
Its a great park, a stunning location where our parks on the beachfront had tracks directly down to the sand. We were effectively parked on the back of the sand dunes.
Beachfront parkingThe outlook 🙂
Toilets were handy, Gary and Diannes Beachfront cottage was right next to us, it couldn’t be better.
Beachfront cottages behind us.
My only comment would be that I found there was definitely room for improvement in the welcoming process at the office. To be fair this may have been stress caused by the cancellations they would have had.
The stunning beach
All the same, I have to rate it as one of the better Motorcamps around in a great place and we had a lot of fun.
Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.
Bugger It, we are off - www.buggeritweareoff.com 
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