The Leigh / Pakiri / Mangawhai / Waipu Road
If you are planning a road trip from Auckland, New Zealand, into Northland (the locals will try to kid you it’s ‘the winterless north’) why stick to boring and ultra-busy State Highway 1?
It’s a road trip for heaven’s sake. Do something different. Quit the highway. Go explore the byway.
This is a diversion from State Highway 1 in Northland that will take you through Matakana (a rapidly developing wine and food area), Leigh, Pakiri and the seaside resort village of Mangawhai back to SH1 at Waipu.
It’s a highly recommended detour if you have the day to spare – Goat Island Marine reserve is reason enough to go this way but so are the vineyard cafes in Matakana and the long sandy stretch of Pakiri Beach.
Even on it’s own as a road trip it’s a great exploration with a swag of things to see, do and experience.
Give it a fair go – make it at least a two-day trip.
Be warned: Fuel is expensive at the villages along the way. Fill up before you set forth.
A lot of useful information on the area can be found at the Matakana Coast website.
Navigation notes:
Warkworth GPS -36.3969, 174.6606
On SH1 in Warkworth turn r. at the traffic lights s/posted “Twin Discovery Route / Tawharanui Regional Park / Goat Island Marine Reserve” as well as “Leigh / Matakana”.
1.2km GPS -36.3880, 174.6597
SHOPPING
Red Barn Antiques 190 Matakana Rd. redbarn9@xtra.co.nz Ph 0274 731 318. Established for over 40 years, specializing in quality antiques, paint finish shabby chic, vintage items, rare collectables & restoration. Opening hours are quite fluid, in general they are open Mon-Sun, or schedule an appointment
4.1km GPS -36.3765, 174.6717
GOLF
Warkworth Golf Club Ph (09) 425 8248 Email warkworth@golf.co.nz. Holes: 18 Par: 71 Length: 5533m (men) 4822 (women).
4.9km GPS -36.3728, 174.6795
VINEYARD AND CAFE
Ascension Vineyard 480 Matakana Rd. Ph 021-885-554 Email ascension@xtra.co.nz. Grape varieties cultivated are Merlot, Malbec, Pinotage, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Tannat, Syrah, Chardonnay, Flora, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Winery café/restaurant:
5.9km GPS -36.3716, 174.6808
VINEYARD
Matakana Estate 568 Matakana Rd. Ph 09-425 0494. Email cellar@matakana-estate.co.nz. Biggest of the local wineries. They have a focussed range of five wines made from Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Gris.
FOOD
Along the road at various places you’ll find a variety of fruit for sale – I’ve seen persimmons, mandarins and limes, chillies and pears, for instance. Buy it at the orchard gate – you’ll never eat fresher, cheaper or better.
7.4km GPS -36.3724, 174.7030
Sharp Rd to the right.
VINEYARD
Heron’s Flight. 49 Sharp Rd. Ph 09-950-6643 Email contact@heronsflight.co.nz. And now for something completely different. Where most vineyards focus on French grape varieties, owners David Hoskins and Mary Evans here have planted just two varieties, both of them Italian Sangiovese, the principal ingredient in Chianti, and Dolcetto which is rarely seen outside its native Piedmont.
8.8km GPS -36.3523, 174.7178
Matakana
BASICS
Information Centre: At the Matakana Cinema (see below.
Fuel 24 hours.
ACCOMMODATION
Motels
Matakana Motel, 975 Matakana Rd. Ph 09 422 7497. Email info@matakanamotel.co.nz Studio and 2-brm units. Serviced daily. Microwave, fridge, shower, queen size beds, phone, tv, elec blankets. Internet access available. Laundry, playground, trampoline, barbecue.
CRAFTS
Morris and James. 48 Tongue Farm Rd. Ph 09 422 7116. Email sales@morrisandjames.co.nz Using clay harvested from the banks of the Matakana River, Morris & James creates a selection of colourful ceramics, pots, home décor and gardenware. A Matakana institution, the business was established in 1977 by Ant Morris, and is today run by over 15 artisans and crafts people, who continue Ant’s legacy, whilst exploring new creative directions and uses for clay.
Join one of their daily factory tours at 11.30am, and see first-hand how they go about creating iconic ceramics in one of the few potteries of this scale in New Zealand. Cafe on site. Tongue Farm Rd is off the main road about half a km north of the village.
ENTERTAINMENT
Matakana Cinemas 2 Matakana Valley Rd Ph 09 423-0218.Email movies@matakanacinemas.co.nz. Three-screen complex playing a mixture of mainstream and commercial arthouse movies. If for nothing else, go for the decor. Elegant and funky at the same time. Good bar and cafe, too.
UNUSUAL ATTRACTION
“Killer Eels”. At the wharf, just past the Farmers’ Market area you can see enormous eels roiling the river water. They get that big because visitors feed them.
FOOD
Matakana Oysters 1217 Leigh Rd Ph 09-422-6133. Email matakanaoysters@gmail.com Wholeshell, Halfshell and Pottle Pacific Oysters, fresh off the Mahurangi Harbour daily and over the weekends. They say they believe in a real oyster farmer environment that lives off the raconteur and scallywag charm.
However here’s their warning: “Oystering is a game that is played under the weather gods. We are constantly hit and miss due to heavy rain, fishing or scallywag behaviour involving South Americans, meat, fish, beer, port, rum and a mad Englishman. During these times it’s best to somehow check ahead”.
Restaurants
Matakana Market Kitchen, 2 Matakana Valley Rd. Ph 09-423 0383 Lunch Mon-Sun, 8am till late. Casual atmosphere but a slick act with the food.
The Matakana 11 Matakana Valley Rd. Ph 09-422-7518 Email thematakana@gmail.com Great country pub atmosphere with modestly priced food.
Rusty Pelican Bar and Pizzeria. 1001 Matakana Rd. Ph 09-422-9122. Pizzas and other straight forward fare. Gets a bit noisy on the weekends when the scuba crowd rolls in – but that just adds to the atmosphere. Great kids menu.
SHOPPING
Farmers Market On the corner of Matakana Rd and Matakana Valley Rd (The main corner in the township). Every Saturday 9-1.
VEHICLE REPAIRS
Matakana Automotive. 56 Matakana Valley Rd. Ph 09 422 7818.
Expert Navigator Tip: You can now choose your road ahead. Take Leigh Rd to Leigh and Pakiri, or, if you want to skip that option take Matakana Valley Rd to continue northwards. The road notes will take you through Leigh and Pakiri.
10.4km GPS -36.3437, 174.7315
Turn-off to Tawharanui Regional Park. Camping facilities, parking for campervans, lots of walks, beaches, and a lot more. Considered to be one of the best swimming and surfing beaches in the region.
10.8km GPS -36.3410, 174.7343
ATTRACTION AND SHOPPING
Matakana Country Park. 1 Omaha Flats Rd. Ph 09 422-7437 Email info@matakanacountrypark.co.nz. There is a collection of attractions here – a goldsmith, a gallery of arts & crafts, a petting zoo, horse riding, equestrian events, sculpture events, children’s playground, walking and riding trails, picnic areas and a farmers’ market on Saturday morning. I particularly recommend the craft co-op shop for good quality gifts and souvenirs. I especially like the pens made from hand-turned wood. The art gallery, too, has some excellent work.
FOOD
Restaurants
The Stables Ph 09-422-7360.Email enquiries@stablesmatakana.co.nz
15.5km GPS -36.3131, 174.7673
Whangateau
BASICS
Toilets: On the beach front
Kids’ Playground in Whangateau park.
ACCOMMODATION
Campground
Whangateau Holiday Park. 559 Leigh Rd. Ph 09 422 6305 11 hectare site for family camping on the water’s edge. They have cabins and family rooms which look out to sea, tent and caravan sites, communal kitchen, laundry and barbecue. There are toilet and shower facilities and a dump station for campers’ use.
19.3km GPS -36.3067, 174.7908
ATTRACTION
Ti Point Reptile Park. 27 Ti Point Rd, Ph 09 422-6021. Email enquiries@reptilepark.co.nz NZ’s only reptile zoo, small but an interesting collection including American alligators, Pink toed tarantula’s, Green iguana, chameleons, turtles, and tortoises. Open D 10-5.
Matheson Bay
19.8 km GPS -36.2958, 174.7969
Matheson Bay. Turn off at this point to Matheson Bay, in my opinion one of the treasures of this coast. I’ve been going there off and on for 40-odd years and I still love it. The first time I went there I came face to face with three of the things swimmers fear most – sharks, stingrays and octopuses (octopi?). All of them were quite small and of no problem at all. At the reserve on the bay itself there are toilets and a children’s playground. Note – there are two roads that lead to the bay. The first you come to from the south is not suitable for campervans.
21.3 km GPS -36.2927, 174.8035
Leigh
Leigh is well known for its fishing fleet and fishery. Fresh fish is unloaded daily in the picturesque commercial harbour where fishing boats ply their trade. From the wharf, children hang their weighted fishing lines in the hope of catching a sprat or yellowtail for their cats. The township itself is perched on high ground looking out and down to the harbour.
BASICS
Toilets at the Community Centre, Pakiri Rd.
ACTIVITY
Goat Island Dive 142a Pakiri Rd. Ph 09-422-6925 Email dive@goatislanddive.co.nz From their shop in Leigh they will arrange snorkel or scuba trips to Goat Island Marine Reserve. They also have kayaks for hire. If you want to dive some of the reefs and wrecks in the area they run a charter operation.
FOOD
Cafe
Leigh Sawmill Cafe. 142 Pakiri Rd. Ph 09-422-6019 Email info@sawmillcafe.co.nz And now for something completely different – a historic sawmill converted to a cafe. The original mill had all but fallen apart when the Guinness family took it over. First they put the saws to work cutting the timber to rebuild the place.Today it’s a cafe with a difference, a micro-brewery, backpacker accom and more upmarket double suites. They often have live music at nights including top NZ bands in summer. The food is specialty pizzas, local fish and and other local fresh food.
VEHICLE SERVICING
Leigh Motors. 22 Cumberland Rd. Ph 09-422-6077 Mob 027-473-2631.
23.9km GPS -36.2815, 174.7912
Turn off to Goat Island Marine Reserve.
Goat Island Marine Reserve
Goat Island Marine Reserve
This was the first marine reserve set aside in NZ – and it just shows what nature can achieve when left to her own devices. This area had just about been strip-mined by commercial fishing fleets and recreational fishers. Then in 1978 it was designated as a 547 hectare no-take reserve. Now it just teems with fish life. You can see schools of brightly coloured snapper, blue maomao and parore. Take a snorkel, mask and flippers and mooch around in the water and rocks for a spectacular display of marine abundance . . . what the oceans were like before transglobal fishing giants stripped the seas.
Unfortunately you can no longer feed the fish. Humans as usual went to excess and the amount of food being proffered became so gross that water quality suffered and fish began to look for easy handouts instead of behaving naturally. As is typical of DoC they totally banned feeding – instead of allowing it in controllable amounts. Thus there aren’t as many fish to be seen from the water’s edge as in earlier years, but it’s still a great experience.
Hire a mask and snorkel and get in there with them.
ACCOMMODATION
Goat Island Camping and Accommodation, Goat Island Rd. Ph 09-422-s6185 Email goatiscamp@xtra.co.nz Just a stone’s throw from the reserve. They have a combination of camp sites (some with power), cabins, caravans and a self contained unit.
ATTRACTIONS
The Glass Bottom Boat, Ph 027-497-9764 Email info@glassbottomboat.co.nz The Aquador has been specifically designed and built to give visitors the best possible view of the marine life without going underwater. The 49-seater aluminium boat is 11 metres long and has large glass windows in the floor.
Octopus Hideaeway 2 Seatoun Ave. Ph 09 422 6212 Email info@theoctopushideaway.nz They hire masks, snorkels, wetsuits and other dive gear so you can explore the area for yourself.
For the next few km you need to be a bit careful. The road is twisty and winding and narrow, gravel surfaced and steep in places. My father-in-law, Paddy Mulrennan, a highly experienced heavy machinery operator, tells me you should go down a hill in the same gear you go up. Good advice. Take it. You should also give way to uphill traffic. Driving on gravel is the same as driving on ice. You can slide off the road very easily if you try to travel too fast so have a care.
31.6km GPS -36.2814, 174.7913
Turn off to Pakiri Beach.
Pakiri
Pakiri Beach is one of those special beaches – it’s a bit out of the way and the road in is a bit of a mission so it’s not as popular as other more accessible places. Which means it’s just great if you go the extra mile to get there – a long line of sand broken only by the Pakiri River and nowhere near as many people..
ACCOMMODATION
Campground
Pakiri Beach Holiday Park. Pakiri River Road. Ph (09) 422 6199 Email info@pakiriholidaypark.co.nz. This camp is right on the beach. They have a wide variety of accom options – from tent sites to a 5-star luxury beach front lodge. Beachside cottages sleep 4-8 people. Standard tourist flats sleep 1-3 people. Both are fully self-contained, including TV and fully equipped kitchen. Sky tv. Basic cabins sleep 4 and bunkhouse sleeps up to 15 and has a kitchen and toilet.
34.0km GPS -36.2625, 174.7045
Expert Navigator Tip: Turn l, remaining on Pakiri Rd, to rejoin SH1 at Wellsford, or continue on to Mangawhai and Waipu Cove.
Horse riding on Pakiri Beach. Photo by Chris McLennan
ACCOMMODATION / HORSE TREKKING
Pakiri Beach Horse Riding, Rahuikiri Rd. Ph 09 422 6275. Email info@horserise-nz.co.nz Laly and Sharley Haddon and their daughter Olivia and son Ben are descendents of the ancient Maori chief Te Kiri of Ngati Wai. Their farm is on lands that have been handed down for generations. The farm, known as Taurere, is 2000 acres of coastal hill country carrying 200 beef and breeding cattle, 800 Perendale sheep and 127 horses. They offer rides from 1 hour to 7-day treks. They also have accommodation ranging from backpackers to luxury beach front houses.
A wizard? Or an Ent? Or both? This sculpture on the road north of Pakiri looks for all the world like something straight out of J.R.R.Tolkien’s imagination.
40km GPS -36.2863, 174.6630
Expert Navigator Tip: If you took the short cut out of Matakana this is where you rejoin the track.
From Matakana: Bear l. on to Whangaripo Valley Rd.
From the south: Bear r on to Whangaripo Valley Rd.
39.0 GPS -36.2826, 174.5670
Turn r on to Waiteitei Rd. s/p Mangawhai
Or if you prefer continue on Whangaripo Valley Rd for Wellsford or back to Auckland. If you take this option just follow the signposts.
Continuing north . . .
47.1km GPS –36.2219, 174.5759
At the T intersection turn l. on to Mangawhai Rd s/p Wellsford 13km to rejoin SH1 north of Te Hana.
Or
Turn r. on to Mangawhai Rd, s/p Mangawhai 14km, to continue to Mangawhai.
56.2km GPS -36.1709, 174.5624
ACCOMMODATION
Mangawhai Retreat Apartments Cames Rd. Ph 0800-431-5400. Email bookings@mangawhaireatreat.co.nz Self-contained apartments, each with a Queen-sized bed. Wrap-around decks with great views. 23 acres of farmland to stroll around. BBQ facilities for guests. Hot spa.
60.5km GPS -36.1262, 174.5745
Mangawhai
Expert Navigator tip: If you wanted to get back to SH1 to continue north from here (why??) turn l. as you come into the village on to the Kaiwaka Mangawhai Rd which will take you to Kaiwaka 15.7km away. To continue north to Mangawhai Heads and Waipu Cove turn r. on entering the village and almost immediately l. It’s all clearly signposted.
BASICS
Fuel
Toilets: On main rd by the Mangawhai Village Shopping Centre.
Police 35 Moir St. Ph 09-423-1060 Fax 09-423-1061
For more information on this area go to the Mangawhai website.
ACCOMMODATION
Campground
Mangawhai Riverside Holiday Park 41 Black Swamp Rd. Ph 09-431-4825. Email office.riverside@xtra.co.nz Tent sites, limited number of power sites, tourist cabins, on-site caravans. Communal kitchen with dual ovens, fridge/freezer, laundry, tv lounge, recreation room, camp library. Kayak hire available.
Motel
Tudor Oaks Motel 47Moir St Ph 09-431-5393 Mob 021 077 4328. Email dianne@tudoroaks.co.nz 1 x 2-bedroom unit (sleeps up to 7) and 3 x 1-bedroom units (sleep 1-4). All units have either microwave/fridge/jug or full kitchens.
FOOD
Bakery
Village Bakery, Mangawhai Village Shops. Ph 09 431 5193.
Cheaper Eating
Mangawhai Club, 219 Molesworth Drive. Ph 09 431 5085. Email info@mangawhaiclub.org.nz Like its counterparts throughout the country this club offers meals and drinks at very reasonable prices. The Club Kitchen is open Tuesday through to Sunday (Monday Closed) from 12pm to 2pm for lunch and 5.30pm to 8pm for dinner
Pub Bistro
Mangawhai Tavern, Moir St. Ph 09 431 4505. Email denday@xtra.co.nz Historic pub (est 1865) on the waters edge with a beer garden over looking the estuary. Better than average pub grub. Kids menu.
Cafes
The Dune, 40 Moir St. Ph 09 431 5695. Email Dune@jetsongroup.co.nz Breakfast, lunch and dinner. A la carte meals & pizzas using locally farmed meat, seasonal locally sourced seafood and fresh organic produce delivered daily direct from their very own farm.
Smashed Pipi Cafe and Bar. 40 Moir St Ph 09 431 4848 Email smashedpipi@clear.net.nz. Day cafe with a bar attached. Pleasant courtyard dining by day. Limited choice of mains available from the bar at night, but the cafe opens in the evenings Thur-Sun. The gallery nearby has some excellent local artwork.
Restaurant
Frog and Kiwi, 6 Molwsworth Dr. Ph 09 431 4439. The name give you a clue. David, the chef, is French as is the cuisine at this very popular restaurant.
SHOPPING
Mangawhai Village Market, 45 Moir St. Every Saturday morning. All the usual suspects. Locally produced olive oils, wines and coffee, fresh bread, pickles, chutneys, fresh fruit and veg., fish, candy, cakes, cheese, clothes, jewellery and art.
Mangawhai Tavern Market.2 Moir St. Saturday mornings in the grounds of the Mangawhai Tavern, on the water’s edge.
Bennetts of Mangawhai, 52 Moir St. A chocolate lover’s happy place. Boutique chocolatiers. Buy on site from the shop. Café.
Gifts and collectibles.
Coolectibles. 1267 Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Rd. Ph 09-431-4553. Email reincarnated@xtra.co.nz A home-based second-hand business in a garden selling. Retro collectables, clothing, contemporary and collectable books and more.
GALLERY
Pipi Gallery. 40 Moir St Ph 09 431 4849 Email gallery@smashedpipi.co.nz Selection of art and fine crafts including pottery, ceramics, flax weaving, jewellery, wood, textiles etc by a wide variety of New Zealand artists. Open D 9-5.30.
VEHICLE RECOVERY
Mangawhai Vehicle Recovery. Mobile Ph 027-253 1956
VEHICLE SERVICING
Mangawhai Village Automotive Ltd. On the main rd. Ph 09 431 4571
65.2km GPS -36.0910, 174.5845
Mangawhai Heads
BASICS
Doctor: Mangawhai Health Centre. Ph (09) 431-4128. After hours care Ph (09) 423-8086
Toilets: Courtyard of the Shopping Centre, Wood St.
Visitor Information: iSite on the main road. http://www.mangawhai.co.nz/.
Fuel.
Expert Navigator tip: The main street, Wood St, is a one way road. If myou down there it isn’t instantly obvious how to get back on to the main road. Go right to the end of Wood St, turn left and follow your nose. Better option is to park in the car park immediately on your left as you enter the street. From there you can exit right and be back on the main road quickly and easily.
ACCOMMODATION
Campground
Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park. 2 Mangawhai Heads Rd. Ph 09 431 4675. Email stay@mangawhaiheadsholidaypark.co.nz Superb site on an estuary. Self-contained units, cabins, caravans. 77 powered sites, 100 tent sites. Playground.
Backpacker Hostel
Mangawhai Backpackers, 299 Molesworth Drive. Ph 09 431 5444 Email coastalcow@callplus.net.nz. Homely backpackers with lots of character. Linen, duvets supplied, home cooked meals, email, free bikes and rods.
FOOD
Bakery
Head Rock Bakery, Shopping Centre, Wood St. Ph 09 431 4041.
Restaurant
Wood St Pizzeria 12 Wood St Ph 09 431 4051. Pizza and craft beer . . . a combo that’s, like, “What’s not to like”?
Cafe
Mangawhai Deli, 7 Wood St. Ph 09 431 5881. Much recommended by those who have tried it. Especially the cheese sticks and bread pies but be quick because they sell out
GOLF COURSE
Mangawhai Golf Club Molesworth Dr. Ph (09) 431-4807. Email golfshop@mangawhaigolf.co.nz Holes: 18 Par: 72 Length: 5893m (blue) 5407m (white) 4886m (yellow). A scenic 18-hole championship golf course, consistently ranked among New Zealand’s top 25 courses. Being a sand-based coastal course it is always playable, offering challenge and reward for golfers of every ability. The course is set amidst native flora and follows the naturally gentle undulations of the landscape.
LOCAL WALKS
Mangawhai Cliff Walk Spectacular views of the Hen and Chicken Islands, and a beautiful beach at the northern end provides a great spot to picnic, swim, or snorkel. The walk is about three hours return, maybe longer if the kids want to play along the way. Most of the track crosses private farmland. Please treat the property and the stock with respect. Keep to the marked track. The walkway is closed for lambing 30 June to 1 October.
Walk begins at the car park near the Mangawhai Surf Life Saving Club at the end of Wintle Street.
The track starts along the beach, then climbs quite steeply for about 20 minutes to a lookout point. It then winds past ancient pōhutukawa teetering on the sheer slopes before descending to the stony beach below. From here you can walk back along the beach (8 km), but only at low tide
From the lookout you can take a shorter hike back to the start.
Mangawhai Look Out Walkway (By Golf Club). Take the boardwalk alongside the information map on Molesworth Drive adjacent to the Golf Club. Panoramic views over the golf course, Mangawhai Heads area and surrounding district from East to West Coast. An easy ten minutes. This is a popular local walk through kanuka and regenerating bush. Look for spectacular fungi as portrayed by local artist Jeannette Vickers.
Robert Hastie Walkway. The eastern entrance of this walkway is on the Waipu Cove Road just by the Robert Hastie Memorial Scenic Reserve – about 7 km from the Mangawhai Heads Road junction. Excellent views of Marsden Point Oil Refinery, Hen & Chicken Islands and the surrounding countryside. The walkway climbs quite steeply at first through regenerating vegetation then joins a graded farm track. From there, the road skirts around gullies past regenerating bush and up quite steeply over a spur to reach the Trig at 276 m. Allow 1 hour to reach the trig point.
SHOPPING
Studio 56 56 Moir Point Rd. Has a range of gifts, art, clothing and homewares. Special features of this boutique studio are the range of locally handmade products – including art and photography – and a selection of NZ made goods.
81.5 GPS –36.0468, 174.5360
Langs Beach
A beautiful little beach. Great spot for a picnic under the pohutukawa trees.
BASICS
Toilets: on the beach front.
Waipu Cove
84.5 km GPS -36.0285, 174.5033
Waipu Cove
A 5km sweep of uncrowded sandy beach between Waipu Cove and the Waipu River mouth to the north. Plentiful supplies of tuatua (shell fish) can be obtained which make a tasty meal. At the south end of the beach are rock pools beyond which are up to 10m high climbable rock formations extending around to Langs Beach. A feature of the estuary consisting of a sandspit and a lagoon is a wildlife refuge which is an area of great importance as this is one of the last breeding sites of the Fairy Tern.
But Waipu Cove’s major claim to fame is the surf. It’s regarded as one of the top surfing spots in the country, at its best in moderate swells to 1.5 metres, breaking off the rocky headland or sandbars. The beach is patrolled in summer.
BASICS
Toilets on the beach front.
ACCOMMODATION
Waipu Cove Resort 891 Cove Rd. Ph 09-432 0348 Fax 09-432 0376 Email info@waipucoveresort.co.nz. 12 ground floor serviced apartments with self-contained studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments and a 3 bedroom family suite. The apartments have a fully equipped kitchen. Sky tv, spa, swimming pool., laundry, bbq. The Beach House Restaurant is on site.
Camp Waipu Cove, 869 Cove Rd. Ph 09 432 0410 Email info@campwaipucove.com. Right on the beach. Well run camp with 225 sites, most of them with power. Well equipped facilities, including a children’s playground. They have some near new cabins. Cabins are heavily booked Xmas-Feb.
FOOD
Cafes
The Cove Cafe, Cove Rd (the main road) Ph 09 432-0234. Email cove@jetsongroup.co.nz Does an all day breakfast through to dinner as well as take-aways.
LOCAL WALKS
Pancake Rocks
A short track to the south of Waipu Cove. Cross the stream on the southern end of the beach, follow the path through the gate, and take the upper track. Follow this for about 15-20 mins and you come to an impressive pancake rock structure fringed by ancient pohutukawa trees. This track crosses private land, so please be considerate – don’t dump rubbish, don’t upset the stock.
Waipu River Mouth and Estuary at the end of Johnson Point Rd between Waipu Cove and Waipu township. This refuge has international significance and is the nesting area for New Zealand dotterel, variable oyster catcher and New Zealand fairy tern. Other species include reef heron, wrybill, caspian tern and banded dotterel – all are protected, rare or threatened species.
93.2 km GPS -35.9848, 174.4472
Waipu
This town was founded in the 1850s by a group of Scottish highlanders. During the infamous “clearances” of Scottish lands in the early 1800s – when English landlords evicted entire families because they wanted the land for grazing – a large contingent of immigrants made their way to Canada and founded the state of Nova Scotia, “New Scotland”. Many, however, became disillusioned with the hardship of life there – a famine after potato blight and wheat rust diseases wiped out crops – so a small party set off to find new prospects. After looking at Adelaide and Melbourne they finally came to Waipu. A small settlement was set up and on hearing of the new venture a further party of 450 Scots left to join them.
A plaque outside the local museum tells its own simple story – “In a Canadian forest they felled the timber, built their wooden ships and navigated them to a far distant land”. Indeed they did – thousands of km across the face of the earth to a tiny country at the back end of the planet.
The settlers were strict Calvinists with an unbending faith under the leadership of the Rev Norman McLeod, a charismatic but controversial cleric.
In the local museum, however, is another side to their nature. If Scotland is famous for anything it’s the national drink, Scotch whisky. And like good Scots they carried the skill of the stiller with them. A Capt. McKenzie set up a still in 1859 and for the next 33 years in various places it produced more than just a few wee drams of “usqebaugh”, bootleg hooch, without being found by the revenue men.
His still can be found in the museum, now, sadly, silent and unsmoking.
BASICS
Fuel.
Accident and Emergency Centre. Cnr Cove Rd / Nova Scotia Dr (the main corner on the main st). (Open Mon-Thu 8-4 and 6-8, Fri 8-6. 24-hr emergency number Mon-Thu 09-432-1190. Aft. hrs mobile 025-962-200.
Police 8 Cove Rd. Ph 09-432 4030
Toilets On the main road next to the lion statue.
ACCOMMODATION
Motel
Clansman Motel 30 Cove Rd. Ph 09 432-0424 Email clansmanmotel@clear.net.nz. Simple in style but well presented. 6 ground floor self-contained units, serviced daily: 3 large studio units sleep up to 3, 3 large 1brm units sleep 5. Fridge, tv, elec. blankets. 6 budget backpacker rooms with tea/coffee making facilities, shared shower and toilet. Lic. restaurant open Thur, Fri, Sat nights, cooked/cont brkfst avail, full room service, play area, trampoline.
FOOD
Bakery
The Bakery 12 The Centre (The main rd). Ph 09-432-0852. The usual bakery lines.
Restaurant
McLeod’s Pizza Barn. 2 Cove Rd. Ph 09-432-1011. This is fair dinkum back country fare. To start with the place is just a tin shed. The decor is . . .well even the word “eclectic” misses the mark, too high falutin’ by half. It’s a mish-mash of old farm equipment, sports photos, sports equipment and anything else that takes the owner’s fancy. They brew their own beer on site as well as great pizzas.There’s a rollicking atmosphere that ties it all together into the makings of a good night out.
The Clansman. 30 Cove Rd. Ph 09-432-0995. Highly recommend by all who have dined there.
Cafe
Waipu Café Deli 182 The Centre Open 7 days: 8am – 4pm.Coffee, in house baking, breakfasts, fresh salads, gelato and more. Large covered courtyard and outdoor seating.
GALLERY
Red Door Gallery 7 The Braigh. Ph 09-432-0797. Email inforeddoorwaipu@gmail.com The old fire station (it was originally built as a butchery) has been preserved and is now an art gallery and a shop.
MUSEUM
Waipu Musem 36 The Centre (the main road). Email info@waipumusuem.com Excellent little local museum, which tells that unique settlement story. Well worth the hour or so..
VEHICLE RECOVERY
Waipu Motors. 11 The Centre. Ph 09-432-0301.
GOLF COURSE
Waipu Golf Club. Ph (09) 432 0259. Holes: 18 Par: 72 Length: 5449m & 5951m (red & blue)
NATURAL ATTRACTION
Waipu Caves. Located off State Highway One, on Waipu Caves Road, south of Whangārei near Waipu. To reach Waipu Caves Road from SH1 take either Shoemaker Road, from Waipu or Springfield Road from the north. Photo – Dept. of Conservation.
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