Worlds away
The rest of the globe may not be our oyster just now but we have plenty of beautiful delicacies on our doorstep, writes Alanah Eriksen
We were supposed to be in Italy. Pigging out on pizza and tortellini while overlooking a Venetian canal. Then Austria was on the cards — our friends have built a forever home in the mountains in a postcard-perfect ski resort town.
However, looking at the breathtaking views of the pua harbour in the Bay of Islands from our boutique accommodation, it was hard to imagine how any place around the globe could compete.
The water was so blue. The surrounding native trees so lush. The birdsong, angelic. Holiday homes pepper the pua hillside up to Paihia and over at the two towns across the water, Okiato and Russell.
A three-hour drive from Auckland, pua is known as “the gateway to the Bay of Islands”. It’s a bustling commercial port with a large marina and boatyard. A car ferry across to Okiato, which is then a short drive to Russell, leaves every 10 minutes.
With a population of 1137, pua has just one cafe, a takeaway shop, a general store, the Cruising Club and a couple of boating stores. Less than 10 minutes drive north is the bigger, bustling town of Paihia.
Weleft Auckland early so we could enjoy lunch at the Marina Cafe before check-in. As the title suggests, it’s right on the marina so you can enjoy peering at locals and those from further afar coming in and out of the harbour— fishing, jet skiing or just going for a sail.
The waitress said people came especially for the creamymushrooms and
I can see why. Balsamic reduction sauce and pecorino cheese smothered the mushrooms and toasted ku¯mara sourdough. I had been uberhungry since becoming pregnant, so I added scrambled eggs. My husband enjoyed the gourmet beef burger and chips.
Back up the hill sits Marinacove, where there are two apartments — a one-bedroom place we stayed in, which is $450 a night in summer, and a twobedroom place for $650. An added bonus with travelling local is we could bring our miniature schnauzer, Ralph; we’d checked ahead that the accommodation was dogfriendly. The lovely couple who run the place, Wendy and Mike Fisher, have a 4-year-old shih tzu, Harry, and welcomed our little fluff ball with open arms. They even offered to dog sit when we went out for dinner.
Wendyandmike stumbled across the property when they were up from Auckland visiting friends. They fell in love with what was an empty shell of a house and bought it in May 2018. They live on the top two floors and have converted the bottom two into apartments.
Having worked in tourism for years — Mike as a coach driver and Wendy more recently for Fiji Tourism — they already knew a thing or two about the hospitality business. Mike’s still driving but it’s school buses instead of coaches now that there are no tour groups to cater for.
The renovated apartment is immaculate, with tasteful Kiwi artwork and spacious rooms. There were all the luxury touches: white couches, big fluffy white robes, Koha Spa products, a super king-sized bed and a Weber barbecue.
Each morning the couple also provide a delicious fresh breakfast, including homemade toasted muesli, spreads, yoghurt and fresh fruit (there was even enough fruit for dessert later). They deliver freshly baked bread each morning — we got rye the first day and croissants the next (who says you need Europe?).
The fully functional kitchen has a Nespresso
coffee machine with pods, as well as an array of tea options. A complimentary bottle of local wine was also in the fridge.
But it’s the view that gets you. A deck wraps around two sides of the apartment. Binoculars are provided so you can almost see the eye colour of the kayakers down below and if you’re lucky, you’ll see dolphins, orcas and seals frolicking.
Before Covid hit, 99 per cent of Marina Cove’s guests were international. Things dried up during lockdown but in winter it ramped up again with Kiwis unable to travel abroad looking to create luxury experiences at home. Now Marina Cove has partnered with Luxury Escapes, a global company with a database of three million members. Together they are offering affordable packages
full of memorable travel picked by local experts.
There is much to do and taste in the area. We did the 8km pua to Paihiao¯coastal walk, which runs right beneath Marina Cove and is dog-friendly. Ralph ran ahead off his lead for Omost¯ of the way, living his absolute best dog life.
The walk has a few hills but was relatively easy. During low tide you can walk along the beach in some parts, otherwise, stick to the path. It took about half an hour — and that was with an out-of-breath pregnant woman, and a dog stopping to sniff everything.
If you’re into cycling, the Pouherengatai Twin Coast Cycle Trail spans 87km, and passes through some of New Zealand’s earliest Ma¯ori and European settlements in the Far North.
experiences
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As an official accommodation partner of the NZ Cycle Trail, Marina Cove is just a few minutes ride from the pua start of the trail and the hosts provide secure bike storage, a wash station and support with planning your ride itinerary.
Waitangi Mountain Bike Park also hasworld-class trails of varying grades.
If you aren’t lucky enough to spot the dolphins below your apartment, or just want a close-up encounter on the water, there are cruise options.
There are also glow-worm caves, horse-riding, kayak tours, golf, parasailing, scenic helicopter flights, fishing charters and boat trips to sights such as the Hole in the Rock.
There are many vineyards in the area too and group tour options if you’d prefer not to be stuck with a pesky car after those wine tastings.
But you really can’t go past the white-sand beaches and sheltered bays, from the popular Paihia beach to Long Beach (Oneroa Bay) in Russell. From Marina Cove, it’s an easy fiveminute walk to peaceful English Bay or Lemons Bay for safe swimming and to get away from the crowds. You can also take an express ferry to Urupukapuka Island, or head north to Matauri Bay. Or if you just want to relax, do a local yoga class, or visit a spa and massage operator.
On our first night, we took the dog on a short car ferry over to Okiato, New Zealand’s first capital, for $27 return and carried on up to Russell. The luxury continued with dinner at The Gables, New Zealand’s oldest operating restaurant, built from pit-sawn kauri in 1847 on whalebone foundations.
It’s situated on The Strand, a charming street with many original buildings on one side and the beach and marina on the other. They sat us at a table on the beach edge, basically on the sand, giving us the best view of the harbour as the sun went down.
It was the best spot for people-watching — boaties took dinghies from their boats to restaurants or to the store for supplies. Locals and tourists on an evening stroll stopped to pat Ralph.
Wewalked off dinner up and down The Strand while watching the sunset and admiring the old buildings before catching the last ferry of the night back to pua.
On the next night, we took the opportunity to enjoy the apartment and all it offered. It was so exciting to be able to stay put and soak up the view. We’d brought barbecue food with us so took advantage of the Weber as Ralph conked out on a mat.
After two nights of luxury, we reluctantly checked out, thankful to have discovered a place we may never have seen were it not for a pandemic and postponed plans.