Guidebook for Cable Bay
Food Scene
The setting is wonderful. Right on the glorious Taita Beach and estuary. You can have a coffee or meal that top quality. There is also the possibility of just having a coffee and a light meal.
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Ramada Resort Reia Taipa Beach
22 Taipa Point RdThe setting is wonderful. Right on the glorious Taita Beach and estuary. You can have a coffee or meal that top quality. There is also the possibility of just having a coffee and a light meal.
This is the very famous Mangonui Fish Restaurant located right over the harbour with a great selection of seafood. It has a seafood chowder that is very good. The restaurant is licenced so you can have a glass of wine or a beer with your meal.
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Mangonui Fish Shop
137 Waterfront RdThis is the very famous Mangonui Fish Restaurant located right over the harbour with a great selection of seafood. It has a seafood chowder that is very good. The restaurant is licenced so you can have a glass of wine or a beer with your meal.
This Restaurant serves authentic Thai food and is the local favourite for dining. The food is exceptional and very tasty. They are closed on a Monday night but are open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm onward.
It recommended that you make reservations as they are very popular. The contact number is (09) 406 1220.
There is ample parking and the view across the Mangonui Estuary is peaceful and stunning.
They also do take away meals if you want to eat at home.
They are a licenced establishment so do not cater for BYOD. There wine list is very good so you will not have to compromise on quality wines and beer.
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The Thai
80 Waterfront RdThis Restaurant serves authentic Thai food and is the local favourite for dining. The food is exceptional and very tasty. They are closed on a Monday night but are open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm onward.
It recommended that you make reservations as they are very popular. The contact number is (09) 406 1220.
There is ample parking and the view across the Mangonui Estuary is peaceful and stunning.
They also do take away meals if you want to eat at home.
They are a licenced establishment so do not cater for BYOD. There wine list is very good so you will not have to compromise on quality wines and beer.
Sightseeing
This reserve is steeped in local history - from the settlement of the first Maori in New Zealand to the use of the Mangonui Harbour for the replenishment of ships' fresh water supply in barrels made by coopers (Hence the name Coopers Beach) and Mill Bay where the huge Kauri trees were 'milled' before being exported. This harbour was used by the old whaling boats and a museum on Hihi Peninsular is a good look into the lives of those old seafarers. The walk is quite short but is breath-takingly beautiful.
Taumarumaru Recreation Reserve
This reserve is steeped in local history - from the settlement of the first Maori in New Zealand to the use of the Mangonui Harbour for the replenishment of ships' fresh water supply in barrels made by coopers (Hence the name Coopers Beach) and Mill Bay where the huge Kauri trees were 'milled' before being exported. This harbour was used by the old whaling boats and a museum on Hihi Peninsular is a good look into the lives of those old seafarers. The walk is quite short but is breath-takingly beautiful.
Waipapakauri.
Turn left off SH1 as few 100 meters from the Waipapakauri pub and follow the road to the beach. There is a parking area right at the beach if you don’t want to drive onto the beach. It is strongly recommended that you don’t go onto the beach in a 2 wheel drive vehicle.
If you are going to drive up 90 Mile Beach make sure that you start mid tide on an outgoing tide as the water comes right up the beach at high tide and you will get stuck and you could even lose you vehicle.
Even if you don’t drive on the beach this is a great place to watch the sunset. It is wild and spectacular even on a relatively calm day.
Waipapakauri Domain Road
Waipapakauri Domain RoadWaipapakauri.
Turn left off SH1 as few 100 meters from the Waipapakauri pub and follow the road to the beach. There is a parking area right at the beach if you don’t want to drive onto the beach. It is strongly recommended that you don’t go onto the beach in a 2 wheel drive vehicle.
If you are going to drive up 90 Mile Beach make sure that you start mid tide on an outgoing tide as the water comes right up the beach at high tide and you will get stuck and you could even lose you vehicle.
Even if you don’t drive on the beach this is a great place to watch the sunset. It is wild and spectacular even on a relatively calm day.
The Cape is at the Northernmost tip of New Zealand where the Tasman Sea and The Pacific Ocean meet. It is spectacular! There is a line of breakers to the north of the Cape where the breakers crash into each other
A short walk to the lighthouse is quite strenuous and requires some comfortable shoes.
This a must if you visit the Far North.
The trip is about 2 hours from Cable Bay but well worth the effort.
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Cape Reinga
The Cape is at the Northernmost tip of New Zealand where the Tasman Sea and The Pacific Ocean meet. It is spectacular! There is a line of breakers to the north of the Cape where the breakers crash into each other
A short walk to the lighthouse is quite strenuous and requires some comfortable shoes.
This a must if you visit the Far North.
The trip is about 2 hours from Cable Bay but well worth the effort.
The peat and tannins in the water of this lake give it a distinct 'Coca Cola' colour.
The surrounding catchment is manuka scrub, with pohutukawa, cabbage tree and flax along the eastern margin. The lake has no inflows or outflows.
Access is off Ramp Road, with well-formed tracks to the western and northern shore.
There is also an access road to the beach from the turn off to the Lake. You can drive along the beach to Tokerau itself but beware of fishermen's long lines and it best to keep as high up the beach as possible when passing fishermen on the beach.
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Rotopokaka (Coca Cola) Lake
The peat and tannins in the water of this lake give it a distinct 'Coca Cola' colour.
The surrounding catchment is manuka scrub, with pohutukawa, cabbage tree and flax along the eastern margin. The lake has no inflows or outflows.
Access is off Ramp Road, with well-formed tracks to the western and northern shore.
There is also an access road to the beach from the turn off to the Lake. You can drive along the beach to Tokerau itself but beware of fishermen's long lines and it best to keep as high up the beach as possible when passing fishermen on the beach.
Parks & Nature
Maitai Bay
This is a very popular beach. A picturesque beach on the left and a boat ramp on the right. Great for swimming, safe and very clear water. A great place to use a SUP or kayak. This is a Kiwi sanctuary so no dogs are allowed at the beach.
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Matai Bay
Maitai Bay
This is a very popular beach. A picturesque beach on the left and a boat ramp on the right. Great for swimming, safe and very clear water. A great place to use a SUP or kayak. This is a Kiwi sanctuary so no dogs are allowed at the beach.
Karikari Beach
If you turn left at the top of the hill you can go to Karikari beach. It is a short walk to the beach from the car park but it is well worth the effort. Pristine beach with a great spot for swimming. Be careful as the beach drops away very steeply right at the edge of the shoreline.
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Puheke Beach
Karikari Beach
If you turn left at the top of the hill you can go to Karikari beach. It is a short walk to the beach from the car park but it is well worth the effort. Pristine beach with a great spot for swimming. Be careful as the beach drops away very steeply right at the edge of the shoreline.
Rarawa
This is at the southern end of the Great Exhibition Bay which is a silicon beach. Very white sand and a turquoise sea. The glare off the sand in the sunlight is very intense and sunglasses are a must.
There is a popular camping site at the beach. You can also drive along the beach to the northern end. A stroll over the rocks and you will have a spectacular view of the coastline with its white sand to the north.
It is a pretty remote beach so you will need to have a full tank of petrol if you don’t want to get stranded.
Rarawa Beach Campsite
Rarawa Beach RoadRarawa
This is at the southern end of the Great Exhibition Bay which is a silicon beach. Very white sand and a turquoise sea. The glare off the sand in the sunlight is very intense and sunglasses are a must.
There is a popular camping site at the beach. You can also drive along the beach to the northern end. A stroll over the rocks and you will have a spectacular view of the coastline with its white sand to the north.
It is a pretty remote beach so you will need to have a full tank of petrol if you don’t want to get stranded.
Spirits Bay.
This remote bay is a must. It is spectacular and steeped in Maori myth and stories. It is well worth the trip along the gravel road and is the ideal place for a picnic lunch.
To quote Wikipedia
The bay is considered a sacred place in Māori culture as according to local legend, it is the location where spirits of the dead gather to depart from this world to travel to their ancestral home (or afterlife) from a large old pōhutukawa tree above the bay. The bay has two Māori names, Piwhane and Kapowairua, the latter meaning to “catch the spirit”, derived from a Māori language saying that translates into English as: “I can shelter from the wind. But I cannot shelter from the longing
Spirits Bay DOC campsite
Spirits Bay.
This remote bay is a must. It is spectacular and steeped in Maori myth and stories. It is well worth the trip along the gravel road and is the ideal place for a picnic lunch.
To quote Wikipedia
The bay is considered a sacred place in Māori culture as according to local legend, it is the location where spirits of the dead gather to depart from this world to travel to their ancestral home (or afterlife) from a large old pōhutukawa tree above the bay. The bay has two Māori names, Piwhane and Kapowairua, the latter meaning to “catch the spirit”, derived from a Māori language saying that translates into English as: “I can shelter from the wind. But I cannot shelter from the longing
Entertainment & Activities
Carrington Winery and Golf Course
A great spot for lunch is the Carrington Golf course and winery. In the summer the winery is open from Labour Weekend but closes in the winter after daylight saving. If they are closed you can still get a lunch and wine at the golf course clubhouse.
The view from the cafe/restaurant is spectacular. The wine is very good especially the Pinotage which is one of the few vineyards in New Zealand that produces this cultivar.
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Carrington Estate
109 Matai Bay RdCarrington Winery and Golf Course
A great spot for lunch is the Carrington Golf course and winery. In the summer the winery is open from Labour Weekend but closes in the winter after daylight saving. If they are closed you can still get a lunch and wine at the golf course clubhouse.
The view from the cafe/restaurant is spectacular. The wine is very good especially the Pinotage which is one of the few vineyards in New Zealand that produces this cultivar.
Everything Else
Kauri Unearthed.
This is a Maori run enterprise that showcases some of the best examples of kauri wood products. There is a Kauri courtois shop with excellent examples of local Kauri crafts, furniture and artefacts as well as a number of interesting old photographs of the now redundant Kauri Gum industry.
The showcase of the place is the staircase carved out of the trunk of a once might Kauri tree.
There is a cafe onsite that makes a great coffee.
If you have been riding on the beach there is a carwash onsite that will spray the underside of your car to rid it of sand. You will need $2.00 coins to work the carwash.
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Kā Uri unearthed
235 State Hwy 1Kauri Unearthed.
This is a Maori run enterprise that showcases some of the best examples of kauri wood products. There is a Kauri courtois shop with excellent examples of local Kauri crafts, furniture and artefacts as well as a number of interesting old photographs of the now redundant Kauri Gum industry.
The showcase of the place is the staircase carved out of the trunk of a once might Kauri tree.
There is a cafe onsite that makes a great coffee.
If you have been riding on the beach there is a carwash onsite that will spray the underside of your car to rid it of sand. You will need $2.00 coins to work the carwash.
Arts & Culture
Te Ahu Centre
The centre is the hub of Kaitaia and the Far North.
There is a library in the centre and free WiFi as well as a movie theatre.
There is a very good museum in the centre. It may be small but it does give an overview of the settlement of the area from pre-European time to the arrival of the Dalmations who came to the area to harvest the Kauri Gum from the many kauri trees that once blanketed the area.
In the entrance to the Te Ahu Centre has a beautiful collection of Pouwhenua or pou whenua (land post), which are carved wooden posts used by Māori to mark significant activities or historical events.
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Te Ahu
Te Ahu Centre
The centre is the hub of Kaitaia and the Far North.
There is a library in the centre and free WiFi as well as a movie theatre.
There is a very good museum in the centre. It may be small but it does give an overview of the settlement of the area from pre-European time to the arrival of the Dalmations who came to the area to harvest the Kauri Gum from the many kauri trees that once blanketed the area.
In the entrance to the Te Ahu Centre has a beautiful collection of Pouwhenua or pou whenua (land post), which are carved wooden posts used by Māori to mark significant activities or historical events.
Essentials
The 4 Square in Coopers Beach is more of a supermarket than a convenience store. It has all the essentials and many of the small luxuries that are good for the holiday season. The staff are excellent - efficient and very friendly. Their hours of business are from 7am to 8pm everyday of the week.
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Four Square Coopers Beach
9 Coopers DrThe 4 Square in Coopers Beach is more of a supermarket than a convenience store. It has all the essentials and many of the small luxuries that are good for the holiday season. The staff are excellent - efficient and very friendly. Their hours of business are from 7am to 8pm everyday of the week.
This a full blown supermarket with the cheapest prices in the area. A trip to Kaitaia is a good idea if you are going to be in the area for a few days.
Their fish and kai moana (sea food) section is very good with a wide range of local fresh fish and shell fish.
The vegetable section is also of good quality.
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PAK'nSAVE Kaitaia
111 North RdThis a full blown supermarket with the cheapest prices in the area. A trip to Kaitaia is a good idea if you are going to be in the area for a few days.
Their fish and kai moana (sea food) section is very good with a wide range of local fresh fish and shell fish.
The vegetable section is also of good quality.