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Waikato Bay

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    • TravelerHalf around the world and back
      Day 52

      First swim

      December 28, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      6 of the 8 fuel blocks on the dashboard had disappeared. With a gas prices app we found the cheapest gas station nearby and fueled up. The facilities were only going to decrease going north. On the way there we checked out Matauri Bay, where a hill at the coast hosts a memorial for Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior. It wasn't very clear how to get there, so when we saw some people going up somewhere from the beach we figured we'd try the same. After walking on a tricky and dangerous trail for awhile we realised it wasn't leading to the memorial, just to some rocks on the other side. We decided to turn around and found the right pass with the information board within a campsite at the beach. It was interesting to read but we decided to skip the correct path and move on. A little bit later we attempted the second climb of the day. This time we succeded and made it to the top of rock Ohakiri. It took only 20 minutes but the views were just great. Driving further the app campermate told us that we were gonna pass a cheap ice cream place. So we logically decided for having one sitting at Cable Bay watching some kites in the sky.

      Our choice of campsite for the night was Matai Bay which Susanne remembered as nice (and empty in September 2009). Arriving to the camping we were quite surprised to see a 'Full' sign at the entrance. We decided to ask anyways and were told that all campsites in the north were full but that they could offer us to put up our tent at the day parking down at the beach if we leave early in the morning. We didn't say no to that and pitched out tent with a picnic table in front and within a 1 minute walk to the beach. The weather was great and there were even some cold showers available, so we took the opportunity for a first swim in the ocean. The water was a bit colder than expected but we still liked it a lot.      Read more

    • TravelerThe Obis and the Kiwis
      Day 8

      On the way from Paihia to Matai Bay

      October 28, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Had a leisure morning and did some planning while the girls enjoyed the fresh air. In the afternoon we went on a little boat ride to explore the Bay of islands. Unfortunately didn’t see any dolphins...Read more

    • TravelerNeuseeland
      1
      Day 22

      Ab jetzt gen Süden

      January 26, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Heute fuhr ich direkt zum Maitai Campground am gleichnamigen Strand.

      Hier fuhr ich mit dem Kajak mal bis zur anderen Seite und entschied dass ich zukünftig nur noch Flüsse und Seen bepaddel, die Strömungen sind zu anstrengend.

      Weiter gibt es nicht viel zu sagen, war heute eher ein fauler Tag      Read more

    • Nadja W.New Zealand
      Day 54

      Camping Trip to Matai Beach

      November 20, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      So i went camping with a friend to the most beautiful beach I've ever seen! White sand! White sand everywhere! It was astonishing! That part of the island was so small, you could walk from one side to the other side and you were in completely different worlds! One was just white sand as far as you could see and the other one was a pretty and green bay with a campground just above it. So you actually got out of the tent and had this wonderful view over the ocean!

      The weather during the day was perfect! Sunny, warm, a slight breeze that cooled you down -picture perfect! But to be honest, everything has a downside, which this time definitely was the cold night! I almost froze to death! I wasnt expecting it to be this cold at night! I wore everything I had with me - six layers of clothing and a sleeping bag and I was still soooo cold! ❄

      But luckily I survived - and while camping with a czech friend I met two french guys heading up north to cape reinga on that campground and they offered me to join them! So my planned two-days-trip go matai beach suddendly expanded to a five-days-adventure up to the north!      Read more

    • Jorge TiloJörg & Travel, Neuseeland
      Day 34

      Matai Bay

      July 19, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Debbies Angebot, dass wir nochmal im Holiday Park kostenlos übernachten können, haben wir für die letzte Nacht gerne in Anspruch genommen. Der Tag beginnt mit der Reinigung der Fahrzeuge und Sport. Bevor wir zur nächsten Station fahren, halten wir noch bei einem Kauri-Museum, welches eher als Verkaufsshop für alle möglichen Produkte aus Kauri-Holz dient. So gibt es Schüsseln, Essstäbchen, Schneidebretter, oder auch einen Esszimmertisch samt Stühlen aus dem begehrten Naturmaterial. Für den Tisch und die Stühle werden dann auch mal eben stolze 21.000 NZD verlangt.

      In Kaitaia statten wir uns nochmal mit Nahrungsmitteln aus und ich gönne mir mal zur Abwechslung eine Flasche Bier. Ich bin bei meiner Arbeit hinter der Bar auf die Marke "Tui", benannt nach einem hier heimischen Vogel, aufmerksam geworden. Es handelt sich um ein Pale Ale mit 4% und die 750 ml Glasflasche kostet 5 NZD (3,15€).

      Direkt nach der Ankunft schnappe ich mir einen Stuhl und ein Glas und mache es mir am Strand gemütlich um noch die letzten Sonnenstrahlen zu erwischen.

      Das Bier ist erst etwas dünn, aber nach anderthalb Gläsern gefällt es mir. Ich bin da ja eh nicht so anspruchsvoll.

      Julia hat sich in der Zwischenzeit schon mit den Nachbarn bekannt gemacht. John und Carol reisen mit dem selbstgebauten Wohnmobil, welches keine Wünsche offen lässt. Solaranlage für die Stromversorgung, Dusche, Toilette, Küche mit Holzofen und und und. Aufgrund der nicht vorhandenen Aerodynamik verbraucht das Gefährt stolze 30 Liter Diesel auf 100 km. Die beiden haben Fisch gefangen und geräuchert und haben noch einen Kopf von einem Snapper übrig, den sie uns schenken. Habe ich so noch nie gegessen, aber nicht übel, muss ich sagen.

      Der Geruch vom geräucherten Fisch ist wohl auch dem Farmhund von der Pferdekoppel nebenan nicht entgangen und somit kommen wir sogar noch überraschend Besuch.

      Am darauf folgenden Morgen kann ich wieder nicht anders und beginne den Tag mit einem kurzen Abstecher ins Wasser. Wie toll muss es hier erst im Sommer sein?!

      Heute wollen wir wieder nach Paihia fahren um die Waitangi Treaty Grounds zu besuchen. Außerdem muss ich nochmal kurz zu den Waldens, da ich meinen Laptop auf der Farm vergessen habe.      Read more

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    • TravelerWorld Trip 2017-18
      Day 124

      Mt. Puheke & Matai Bay

      October 31, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

      Kaitaia was the closest big town, so we went there for a few errands. It's mostly an industrial/farm town without many points of interest. But the local visitor center and library was a nice stop.

      The central hall was surrounded by the equivalent of totem poles, resembling each of the cultures that has settled in the nearby lands. A small museum had a wide variety of exhibitions, from the naval history, to farmers, to local wildlife.

      We drove back to explore the Karikari peninsula. Our first stop was Puheke, an old extinct volcano in the middle of a long stretch of white sandy beach. It was a straight, 4WD track that led straight to the top. There were nice view of the whole peninsula from up there. Another nice trail at the bottom went on top of a rocky cliffs that was being hammered by the waves.

      We decided to stay one more night at the olive farm. We chatted with one of the farmers nearby, an older lady, still doing all the work herself (thinking of getting WOOFFers soon to help). She let us taste and compare some olive oils. Even ones of the same variety, soil and climate tasted different. The difference was in the picking time. Ones picked early in the season (April/May) are very peppery. She preferred to pick later (June), which gave a milder flavour.

      The following morning, we walked down the driveway to the Doubtless Bay beach. It’s the same bay that Mangonui is on (where we had the fish and chips). It was a nice spot to catch the sunrise.      Read more

    • Cruising NZ
      Day 37

      New Years Day

      January 1 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

      This morning a S/SW wind picked up, so we headed across Doubtless Bay to Takerau Bay. We chilled out, recuperating from last night, and Nathan and Daniel went for a dive, hoping to run into a school of Kingfish or other nice eating fish or locate the eligible crayfish. Unfortunately the water was a little unproductive, and we came away with just a couple of Parore.

      Afterwards we headed into Mangonui to drop off Daniel, Atusa, Nathan M, Jenny, and Max, with just Nathan, Jamie and Vela staying on board for the passage to Nelson. After topping the fuel tank up (once Nathan finally figured out how to put in the right pump number...) we pulled out some sails and headed out of Doubtless Bay to spend the night in Maitai Bay. A few other boats are anchored in here with us tonight as well.

      We will have a bit of a planning session tonight for the journey South. But the brief version is that we'll head around North Cape and Cape Reinga, before heading south down to Nelson. The trip from Maitai Bay is roughly 470 miles which we expect to take around 3-4 days. The weather window is looking really good and we are excited to keep exploring our beautiful country!

      Time to get a good night's rest tonight, and we'll touch base again once we're back in cellphone reception.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Waikato Bay

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