This has to be one of the busiest beaches during the summer months! And it's pretty obvious why…read more The beach itself is absolutely beautiful. The water is clear and crisp and the sand is squeaky clean... it actually squeaks sometimes when you rub your feet in it! This is a great beach for the family as more often that not there are little waves, which make for some fun boogie boarding or body surfing. As Jacob said it's not often that there's real surf-able waves here but when the east coast swell gets up and hits at the right angle you might be in for a treat. There are some awesome rock pools to explore and a hill to climb which gives you a great look out over the bay. But be careful! I once saw a group of young kids get washed along the rocks as a set wave rolled in. Make sure you accompany your kids and only go exploring if there aren't big waves and the tide's not too high!

Beautiful Anchor Bay is a day trip spent perfectly in one of our regions golden treasures…read more I spent Easter Sunday here with my son and partner, we arrived not too long after lunch, and the car park close by was already packed to maximum capacity. A short walk down to the beach via the beach path and we found a lovely patch of sand with our name on it. I spent my time here swimming in the beautiful clean cool ocean, body surfing waves, and sun tanning. I recommend if you're not too relaxed to take a walk down the beach towards the rock pools which fill up and explore a deep human sized rock pool that you can dive bomb into! Sublime. The little kids will enjoy running about the rock pools and soaking in them, or searching for the little and big crabs that call it their home. The oceans out beyond the bay are protected as a marine reserve so the fish/sea creatures are happy and you won't see a fisherman in this regional park area. I love the peace I feel at Anchor Bay and always cherish my time here.

Puhoi is a perfect escape from the city for a day…read more The village itself is adorable, replete with a quaint library, general store, local pub and (if your lucky)...bohemian dancers. Yep, not a typo. There was a bohemian dance performance in the local hall during my visit. Anyway, kayaking. That's what this review is about. At PRC, located right in the center of town, you can hire kayaks (single or double) or canoes and enjoy a leisurely paddle along scenic Puhoi river. This isn't a guided tour - which, frankly would be unnecessary given the straightforward route and calm waters. Plus, this way you can go at your own pace and choose to meander off piste as much (or as little) as you like. I took all the little side routes since I'm blessed (cursed?) with endless curiosity and it took me a bit less than 2 hours to arrive at Wenderholm Regional Park. It's pretty easy paddling (especially when there aren't strong winds and the tide's going with you). The owners of PRC were professional, helpful and clearly passionate about what they do (clear WIN in my book). A single kayak was $50 and they also provided a shuttle pickup from the Wenderholm back into town. Nice. This trip is suitable for all levels and a great way to get out on the water!

Kayaking the Puhoi River is a really neat thing to do if you have a day free on the weekend. You…read morecan hire a kayak from with the Puhoi Village or Wenderholm Beach and paddle either up or down the river. It only takes around 2 hours one way, the water is generally flat and it's an easy relaxing journey. It's gentle enough for the kids to do it too (I think I was 10 when we first did it).It's really peaceful getting amongst the mangroves and navigating your way along the river. If you leave from Puhoi have a BBQ at Wenderholm when you finish (they have public BBQs; bring a few coins for the gas operated ones). If you leave from Wenderholm there's always the Puhoi Pub for a celebratory beverage on arrival

Pros: - fun -…read moreinteractive - equipment and nice to have items (like fleece jackets, crocs) are included - knowledgeable guides - beautiful views Cons: - Auckland's downpours. lol. I took their sunset kayak tour to Rangitoto Island and thoroughly enjoyed the experience! There's an option to be picked up in the city (near the Auckland War Memorial Museum) which I did. The kayak guide (Eric) met us on time in front of the museum, ushered us into a mini van with kayaks at the back. On the way to the beach, he gave us an overview of what to expect for the day and got us talking to each other, which makes the experience even better! We were paired in twos, got our kayaks and ourselves ready for the journey. It's awesome that this company is really well-prepared and all-inclusive; it is winter at this time and they have fleece jackets of various sizes, crocs of various sizes, outer rain/waterproof jackets, life jackets and the oars. Impressive. All we had to do was show up in shorts (100% no jeans, they won't be comfortable when you get wet!) and comfortable clothing and you're good to go. When we got to Rangitoto, the guides prepared hot beverages and BBQ dinner for us while we took off our wet gears to dry for a bit. After a quick dinner, we began our hike to catch the sunset. One guide led us up the hike, telling us about the trees, bushes and the history of the island along the way. After about 45 min, we got to the top of trail. It was a foggy/rainy evening but we still caught a little bit of the sunset! Going down, we were each given a hand torch (talk about being all prepared!) and made our way back to the kayaks. It was getting cold and we quickly put on our gears and jumped back into our kayaks and made our way back to the city. We got back there around 8-8:30pm, helped to stow away the kayaks and off we went our separate ways. I couldn't have asked for a more fun, active and beautiful experience! Highly recommend this company and this tour if you want to explore Rangitoto!

Elle was great. Very informative and helpful. Dinner was delicious and brownies on top were…read moregreat. Nice group of paddlers.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I had such a great time! This place is so much fun! Whether you're an…read moreAuckland native or a tourist. This place is a must! I can't believe I haven't done this earlier. Do I sound too enthusiastic? But seriously. Do it. Instructors here are AWESOME! Great demonstration, very interactive people. We took the 90min lesson so they were constantly around and giving us tips on how to become better paddle boarders. You get to paddle around Mission Bay, and I suppose if you aren't doing the lesson and have more time, you could paddle to St Heliers bay if confident: two beaches down and back. The equipment they use are a mixture: My life jacket looked pretty old, but the board I was on was quite new. Nonetheless, all good quality. I fell in the water 5 times, and was still afloat so I have nothing to complain about! I am definitely gonna hit this up again before summer ends! Things I would note: -Don't forget to slip, slop, slap and wrap! I ended up buying $10 sunnies from the convenience store because I didn't wanna get seawater on my Raybans! So that's an option. -Kids must be over 8. Under 16's must have adult supervision. -You can chuck your belongings in their trailer which is well-looked after while you are out on the water.

I really love do anything water sports related, and I was keen for my partner and I to get active…read moreso I booked us both in for an hour session of paddle boarding down at beautiful Mission Bay. Showed up on a weekend day about 1 pm, and met with the Water sports team Ollie and Charlie, on quite a windy day, they were not too sure if as beginner paddle boarders we would have a lot of fun, with a swell running and the water choppy. I was given the choice to either re book another day or take the risk and try it out; I decided to give it a go. The staffs were super supportive and welcomed the motion, and about 1/2 an hour later we were set up with life jackets, paddles and boards. With some precautions to take and some advice about how to paddle, we were sent on our way with a kind wave. Surely was a workout, and had heaps of fun paddling out, falling of a few times and gliding back in smoothly. Great views, awesome fun and a must try for all those water babies.

While staying in hahei, i went onthe 'remote coast tour'. I like kayaking, and am more interested…read morein impressive coastlines and discovering sea caves. Well, the tour certainly did not disappoint. What i liked: - great guides - impressive caves - good explanation of the geology of the area (volcanoes, lava, continental drifting) - small group (we were with 5) - good quality of gear including dry bag Tip:if you have a dry bag, do bring it. The dry bags provided are limited size.

I enjoyed the tour and my guide Brando was very informative. Most of the people participating in…read morethis tour are couples and not all are experienced kayakers. Since I was solo and an experienced kayaker - they made an exception and put me in a solo kayak, which I was quite glad of. The 3-hour tour is about 60 minutes total of kayaking -- after a thorough orientation on the beach with discussion of safety and equipment usage demonstration (including neoprene skirt, PFD and paddle), we headed off to Stingray/Gemstone Bay before going around the point to Cathedral Cove where we all landed for a 45 minute break on the beach. Brando was prepared with a camp stove and fixings for (non-vegan) hot cocoa and coffees, so I grabbed my goggles and went for a swim from Cathedral Cove back to Gemstone Bay. After our break, we went out to some of the other small islands, went through a sea tunnel, and then returned to the coast to look at the "snorkel trail" at Stingray/Gemstone Bay before heading back out and returning to the main beach. Brando was very good at keeping the pace up and engaging with the different members of his tour. All the tour company staff were super efficient, friendly and very well organized. My only regret is that there isn't more time actually kayaking - I would have loved to explore more of the islands and spend more time on the water paddling!

I caught my first fish off the Matakana Wharf. It was only 5cm long, but what a proud moment it…read morewas! The Matakana Wharf isn't just for kids fishing though, there have been some serious Snapper caught from there. If you get the tide right, it's a peaceful place to drop a line in. It's also a good place to kayak. Again check the tides, but you can paddle all the way down the river to Sandspit from here. It took us a fair few hours (we were against the tide) so I would suggest a support crew at the other end for a hot choccie and a pick up. For something more mellow, there are picnic tables at the Matakana Wharf too. It's a good place to take your fish and chips or have a picnic tea