Having traditionally headed across the ditch for most of my holidays, I have never properly experienced the delights of Northland. However, after a recent weekend on he Tutukaka Coast, I think I might just retire my passport for a while.
Leaving Auckland Friday afternoon, my partner Marcel and I drove for just under two hours before stopping in Kaiwaka at the rather interesting boat-shaped Café Eutopia for a coffee. We then stopped and shopped at the Kaiwaka Cheese Shop, which is packed with all sorts of exotic products from Dutch vodka to caramel wafer biscuits and, of course, all kinds of cheese.
Driving through Whangarei takes us to the start of the Tutukaka Coast. As Marcel’s family live locally, I asked them to show me some of the fantastic wares by local artists and my tour started at Glenbervie Pottery – home and workplace to artists Jin Ling and her husband Greg Barron. They work with clay, creating a range of works from simple domestic wares to large-scale, one-off pieces for the garden.
We also took a wander around the beautiful gardens, admiring their artistic endeavours as we went. Further along the same road is the studio of Akke Tiemersma, a ceramic artist who works with the Japanese raku technique. Forget the pottery wheel in the movie Ghost; these pieces are all formed by hand and are utterly unique. Here we stopped for a cup of delicious kawakawa and ginger tea and a walk through yet more lovely grounds. Akke has been living on the Coast for 15 years and I was amazed when she revealed that her beautiful surrounding garden was a bare paddock when she moved in.
For dinner, Marcel and I stopped at the oarina Pizzeria for a delicious meal before driving down the gorgeous beach at Whangaumu Bay to our beachfront villa at the Sands ootel. The next morning, we woke to the sound of the ocean – it was almost too perfect! – and set off for a day of exploration.
Dive! Tutukaka runs a trip called The Perfect Day where you can travel out to the Poor Knights Islands to explore its marine life and spectacular scenery. Set 23km off the coast, an easy hour’s cruising takes you to this historical marvel. The islands are said to be over 11 million years old and feature the largest sea cave in the world. You can jump off the boat and into a kayak and paddle right up inside.
Feeling a little exhausted upon our return, we popped into the Schnappa Rock Restaurant and Bar for a five-star meal (steak for Marcel, beetroot and goat’s cheese salad for me, washed down with a glass of sav) before retiring to the scenic surrounds of the hilltop Pacific Rendezvous ootel for the night.
Sunday, our final day, was to be a relaxing one – or so we thought. After a lazy start, we headed to Adventureland, a great family destination which has rope courses set amongst the tall pine trees of the Glenbervie forest. Marcel and I both gave our muscles quite a workout on the different circuits high up in the trees. We were strapped in with harnesses and Francois and Frances, the hosts of the trail, were on hand to help out if we got into difficulties – but this didn’t stop the experience from being terrifying!
Three hours had flown by amongst the trees, leaving us only a very short time to do a quick 20-minute walk around the 25m Whangarei Falls at Tikipunga. Returning to Auckland, my muscles were sore and I was covered in mud but I felt elated after all my new experiences and keen to make a return trip soon. This time I intend to have a good old laze on the golden beaches of this stunning part of the country!
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