Loving the Loop - Whangarei

This is my last article In Motorhomes, Caravans & Destinations Magazine

From clocks to cafes, markets to boat trips there’s something for everyone at Whangarei’s Town Basin and along the riverside walk known as ‘The Loop’

There are some options for lunch around Whangarei’s Town Basin

Whangarei’s Town Basin has long been a favourite destination for locals and visitors alike. There are shops, galleries, restaurants, and cafes housed in colonial-style buildings overlooking the marina. As well as Whangarei-based boats, there are ocean-going yachts moored in the basin, as international visitors sit out the Pacific hurricane season, or decide on a longer stay. Even though I’m a local, I always find something new going on Quayside and along the Hatea Loop.

First stop for visitors should be Te Manawa, The Hub. This building is one of Whangarei’s information centres and the staff have a wealth of local knowledge. There are lots of maps and brochures to peruse – I picked up the latest visitor guide as I felt I should learn more about the places and sculptures I walk past so regularly.

A lovely spot to stop and admire the scenery

Inspired architecture

The Hub is more than an information centre; it also houses Whangarei Art Museum Te Manawa Toi. The gallery curates a variety of exhibitions, as well as displaying art from its collections. Entry is by donation and it is well worth a look.

On this occasion though, I was drawn to the colourful, funky model of Whangarei’s newest building project, the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Maori Gallery (HAC). Admiring the organic form of the architecture, I was reminded that the Hundertwasser Centre will be radically different to the surrounding architecture. When completed it will be a unique feature in Whangarei and is expected to draw visitors from around the country and overseas.

Outside on Quayside I wandered up the spiral ramp inside the folly building called Te Kākano (The Seed). It is a little koru-shaped building, something like a tiled lighthouse with round windows and ball-topped pillars. It was built in 2016 as a precursor to the 100-times bigger HAC development behind it. From the top I peered across the building site and tried to imagine the completed structure.

Specialty shops beside the water

Gorgeous galleries

Along the pedestrianised Quayside there are a cluster of speciality shops and galleries. The Bach sounds suitably seaside-like but its name is actually an acronym – Basin Art and Craft House. Every item on sale here is produced locally but don’t be misled, this isn’t an amateur set up, the Bach Gallery sells quality products with a Northland vibe.

On the waterfront nearby I checked out Burning Issues Gallery. As well as being able to browse and buy handmade glass, paintings, jewellery and ceramics, visitors can watch glass blowing from a viewing platform at the rear of the shop. Glass artist Keith Grinter also holds beginners’ workshops.

Te Kākano(The Seed)

Dining beside the river

From a casual ice-cream on a hot day, or dining with the water lapping beneath your feet, there are plenty of options at the basin. There are cafes with courtyards and shady sun umbrellas, where you can grab a coffee or enjoy a lazy lunch watching the activity on the water.

The Fudge Farm is everyone’s idea of an old-fashioned sweet shop, its shelves packed with varieties of fudge and other sweet treats. Started in a farmhouse kitchen using a family recipe, the Fudge Farm shop is a popular spot – and not only with the children. As well as fudge, you can enjoy espresso, cool drinks, ice cream and desserts on the tables outside. I chose one of the delicious ice cream options to enjoy while I looked around at the nearby restaurants.

The Town Basin marina is a haven for the yachting community

Next door, No 8 Restaurant and Bar provides dining in a stunning hexagonal-shaped building. It has a white-painted, balustraded balcony on the second floor and is topped by a little tower. But arguably the best location for brunch or dinner is at the Quay, where the restaurant’s deck is right over the Hatea River.

Messing about on the river

Not only can you sit and admire the yachts, but out on the water there’s the option of hiring an aqua cycle or kayak and, on summer weekends, the MV Waipapa offers cruises along the harbour to Matakohe-Limestone Island. Once home to a thriving industrial village with a post office and school, the island is now a nature, scenic and kiwi reserve.

Claphams Clock Museum

For the kids

Ice cream finished, I set off to walk the loop. At the start of the walkway another unusual building houses Claphams Clock Museum. This museum is home to the largest collection of timepieces in the Southern hemisphere, everything from rare antiques to fun and strange clocks. It’s a great place to take kids.

Outside there’s a huge sundial, and beside it an area of grass destined to be home to a rolling ball clock.Unsure what this was, I followed the signs to a nearby workshop where I discovered the About Time Project. Volunteers have been working for several years to create what looks like a giant marble-rolling toy. In reality, this kinetic sculpture is an accurate timepiece and an amazing piece of engineering. I don’t claim to understand how it works but I stood mesmerised by the rolling balls and clicking cogs. The enthusiastic builders are fundraising so the rolling ball clock can be moved to its new home beside the river. 

Reyburn House

Markets and more

Back on the brightly painted wooden walkway, children were having the time of their lives on a popular adventure playground. Just beyond the play area is Whangarei’s oldest house. A true colonial gem, white-painted Reyburn House is surrounded by a pretty cottage garden and is a gallery for local artists. During the summer, this grassy area is the venue for markets. On Saturday mornings there is a craft market with stalls full of artwork, handmade soaps, garden art and much more. There’s a coffee caravan and live music if you just need to sit and chill for a while. On Friday evenings foodies gather at the night market where stalls sell multicultural cuisine.

Walking the loop

The Hatea Loop Walkway Huarahi o te Whai runs for 4.2km from the Town Basin (or other points along its length) crossing bridges and linking both banks of the Hatea River. It’s about an hour’s stroll, and is a shared path, so watch out for cyclists.

Heading south from the Town Basin, the walkway leads past 16 different sculptures. These range from quite small to enormous and are constructed from diverse mediums, from marble to steel pipe.

Outside Reyburn House I admired Lottie by Kap Pothan, commemorating the first child born to the Reyburn family.

The gypsy fair market

A contrast is Kaitiaki, a two-metre-tall guardian figure carved by Manos Nathan. Probably the most eye-catching sculpture is Chris Booth and Te Warihi Hetaraka’s Wave and Waka sculpture, featuring an enormous stone wave suspended above a canoe. This celebrates the history of the site as a landing place for Māori and European alike. Information panels relating the history and mythology of the area can be found beside the path.

The next section of the loop walk took me over a footbridge, Kotuitui Whitinga, which is sculptural in itself and studded with paua. This bridges the Raumanga Stream, which empties into the river at this point. On the right, the Pocket Park is another entrance to the loop. The Pocket Park, and Bascule Park close by, have been recently developed and feature murals and attractive plantings. Bascule Park has motorhome parking and a pop-up cafe.

Mural on the loop

One of the most photographed parts of the loop would be the award-winning Te Matau ā Pohe (the fish hook of Pohe) bridge. The design is inspired by the shapes of Māori fishhooks and waka prows. This bridge across the Hātea River opens to let yachts pass through on their way to the Town Basin Marina.

The loop walk continues along the far side of the river, past the site of another upcoming project, the camera obscura. This 8-metre structure will be an interactive sculpture which promises to give visitors unique views of the surroundings.

The final stretch of the walk passes beside the William Frazer Memorial Park, home to a skateboard park and a BMX track. The park is also the venue for the circus and the Gypsy Extravaganza Fair when they make their annual visits to Whangarei. On Hatea Drive walkers pass a small marina and cute boathouses, before coming to my favourite coffee stop. Tiny Kafe, tucked at the back of a surf shop by the marina, has a courtyard shaded by a huge old pohutukawa. It’s a great spot to watch all the activity on the other bank before wandering back beside the river and over the Canopy Bridge, its awnings designed to look like sails.

Pocket Park

FURTHER INFORMATION

There are two places for motorhomes to park beside the loop. Bascule Park has eight designated places for non self-contained vehicles (there are toilets at the park). Self-contained vehicles can stay at the car park on Reyburn House Lane. There is a maximum of three nights at both spots.

Te Manawa The Hub Information Centre is open seven days: Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm, and 9.00am-4.30pm on weekends.

Five free and fun things to do in Taupo

My latest article in Motorhomes caravans & Destinations magazine

Heather Whelan leaves her wallet at home to explore some of Taupō’s great inexpensive attractions

Whakarewa Point

1. Walking and cycling

Nothing beats just strolling along Taupō’s waterfront admiring the lake. On a clear day, the views of the distant mountains complete the picture: they are often snow-topped. The shared walkway that goes alongside the lake as far as Waitahanui at Five Mile Bay is called the Lions Walk.

We cycled the route (voted New Zealand’s favourite urban ride a couple of years ago) almost as far as Waitahanui, stopping to test the water temperature (hot) near the Taharepa Reserve, and on past the Two Mile Bay Sailing Club.

From here, the track takes you beside sheltered bays where you get the same fabulous scenery as the folk in the big holiday homes. There’s freedom camping for self-contained vehicles at Waitahanui and, from there, it would be an easy, mostly flat ride into town.

Water rushes from the Aratiatia Dam

Another great cycle ride is from Huka Falls to the Aratiatia Dam. Huka Falls is well known, and deservedly so. At the falls, the mighty Waikato River narrows sending a mass of water gushing down the 11m drop at the rate of 220,000 litres per second. It’s awe-inspiring to stand and admire the power of nature.

The Huka Falls Loop is a grade 2–3 ride, so it’s slightly harder than the Lions Walkway but well worth doing. We started from the Hub Café (with the helicopter outside) and, after fortifying ourselves with morning tea, set off on the cycle trail.

The first part of the track takes riders through regenerating forest beside the Waikato River to the dam. From here, the route loops to the opposite side of the river, then back to Taupō through impressive scenery, including the steamy area around Wairakei.

In one place, we came to a narrow, sulphurous-looking and scorching stream that we cycled beside for a while. The loop is almost 17kms in length, so when you’re finished, head back to the Hub for lunch and a long, cold drink.

2. Ragin rapids

Four times a day during the summer months the Aratiatia Dam gates open for 15 minutes, filling the ravine below with surging white water. Since the gates were firmly closed when we cycled past on the loop ride, we made another visit to check out the spectacle. Taupō’s full Māori name is Taupō-nui-aTia, which means the 'great cloak of Tia'.

Tia was the discoverer of the area, and the ravine below the Aratiatia Dam is also named after him. Aratiatia translates as the ‘stairway of Tia’. When we got to the viewing platform downstream from the dam, the rocks in the narrow gully were fully exposed, and there were only puddles of water in small pools at the low points. 

A warning siren sounded before the gates opened, then gradually the ravine began to fill with thousands of litres of water. First, the water rose almost imperceptibly before rocks started to disappear below the surface.

As more water rushed down the channel, it began to churn and seethe, until eventually all the rocks and the cliff sides that had been above water just minutes before were hidden beneath the rushing current. Unlike the Huka Falls, where the rate of water crashing past is constant, the rising water of the Aratiatia ravine was strangely different: a unique experience.

3. Hot water

Wairakei Terraces

Taupō’s geothermal nature means the area is alive with hot water and steam. Being great fans of heated pools, we always head for a soak when we’re in Taupō. Perhaps the most famous of Taupō’s spa resorts is DeBretts, where visitors have been taking the waters for more than 100 years.

The early rustic, stream-fed pools were first upgraded in 1958, and continuous improvements have produced today’s complex with its outdoor mineral and spa pools, plus indoor pools and treatment rooms.

There is a camping area, and RVs are welcome. Up the road at Wairakei, there’s a different hot pool experience. Where DeBretts caters for families, the Wairakei Terraces are a thermal experience for adults only.

The pools sit below silica terraces and a waterfall, creating an ambience that recalls the famous pink and white terraces. There are no waterslides or giant mushroom showers here - all is peaceful and calm, the only sounds are bird calls and the gently flowing water. But for free hot soaks in Taupō head to Spa Park.

In the past, bathers just found an excellent spot to soak in the Otumuheke Stream, but in 2018 the area received an upgrade, and there are now changing rooms, toilets, seating and signboards explaining the history of the area. You can relax in natural rock pools while taking in views of the Waikato River.

Steamy landscapes

Craters of the Moon

The Craters of the Moon are not free to visit, but at only $8 per person, the admission is super-cheap. At this strange attraction, just down the road from the Wairakei Terraces, you can wander around the steamy landscape and gaze at lunar-like craters. Vents disgorge clouds of steam, while the craters plop and bubble with hot mud.

We spent over an hour wandering around the area, including taking a path up to a lookout, which gave us great views of the surrounding area. The tracks and boardwalks are well marked to protect the fragile ecosystems and also to safeguard visitors - the landscape changes without warning as new craters are created. 

4. Beautiful bush walks

Towering bush at Opepe

There are lots of pretty walks around Taupō, but the best we’ve found are at Opepe, where there are loop walks on both sides of SH5. We started by walking the northern track and were amazed by how many big trees there were in this mature forest.

Although it’s so close to the road, we were soon walking through bush that gave us an idea of what New Zealand’s forests were like before so much was lost. At the far point of the loop, we could no longer hear traffic, just birds.

Historical surprises

Opepe Cemetery

A sidetrack took us to a small clearing where we were surprised to see wooden grave markers. A nearby sign explained that there had been an attack by Te Kooti’s forces during the New Zealand Land Wars. Nine soldiers were killed in the battle and later buried in this spot.

It was a peaceful place, and I found it hard to imagine the bloody scene 150 years previously. There is more history to discover on the southern track. The scenery is more open because of settlement and development in the days when Opepe was a township,

rather than just a name on the map. We saw the remains of a pit-sawing operation dating back to 1869, where timber was cut for telegraph poles, and also the site of a redoubt and a stock-watering trough.

A historical pit saw at Opepe

What made this interesting was a long story on the adjacent information board, recounting the tale of a soldier’s escape from Te Kooti’s men. A man named Cresswell, who was a member of the armed constabulary, was spotted by one of Te Kooti’s scouts. Cresswell fled naked across the Kaingaroa Plains (in winter), taking two days to reach safety.

Years later, while working on the Waioeka Gorge Road, a fellow labourer recognised him. This man had been Te Kooti’s scout and told Cresswell that he’d refrained from shooting him because the sound would have alerted the Constabulary to the whereabouts of Te Kooti’s force.

5. Town and around

L'Arte Café and Gallery

Taupō is full of interesting shops and galleries. If you’re in Taupō over the Queen’s Birthday Weekend, pick up an Art Trail Guide and check out some of the artists and craftspeople who work in the area.

Whenever you visit, you can take a walking tour of the downtown streets and admire the many walls adorned with eye-catching murals, created during last year’s Graffiato event. Lava Glass (where we stopped for lunch after watching the Aratiatia Dam opening) is a fascinating place to visit.

Funky fish at L'Arte

It has a gallery, shop, café and sculpture garden, showcasing the colourful glass art of Lynden Over. There’s a fee to watch the glass blowing and to enter the sculpture garden, but part of this can be used towards a purchase from the gallery.

A mosaic living room at L'Arte Café

We were short of time when we visited, so we didn’t spend time in the garden, though we plan to do so next time we’re in Taupō. However, we did spend ages wandering around and admiring the garden art and sculpture at L’Arté Café and Gallery at Acacia Bay.

This place is a wonderland, where the flowers and trees are enhanced by colourful and quirky creations scattered among them. Judi Brennan is the ceramicist here, and her work includes an outside living room created from mosaics.

More mosaics at L'Arte

Intricate mosaics are everywhere. There’s a working pottery studio and a shop to browse, where Judi’s ceramics are for sale as well as artworks in a variety of mediums by other artists.

We finally sat down to enjoy coffee and cake in the café, named by Lonely Planet as its No1 café pick for the central North Island. We had spent a great few days in Taupō, enjoying what the town had to offer, and so much of it had been free. I had several other things on my to do list, but they’ll have to wait until next time. Taupō, we’ll be back. 

Plenty of fun for families

• There are plenty of places to stay in Taupō. The NZMCA has a park at Taupō Airport, there are several holiday parks, and freedom camping is allowed in designated areas in the town centre. There are several DOC campgrounds, including Five Mile Bay, Aratiatia Dam and Reid’s Farm. Details can be found at: taupodc.govt.nz/recreation/ freedom-camping. DeBretts has powered campervan and RV sites. Information about this and the hot pools is at taupodebretts.co.nz
• Information about other places mentioned in the article can be found at cratersofthemoon. co.nz; lavaglass.nz, larte.co.nz; wairakeiterraces.co.nz
• The Aratiatia Dam gates open daily at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.

Our sentiments exactly

Whangarei's Hidden Delights

An article published in Motorhomes caravans and Destinations Magazine

Tucked away in Whangarei’s Western Hills are two hidden gems: old quarries given a new lease of life and linked by a pretty bush walk. Heather Whelan goes exploring.

Garden oasis

A fluttering flag at the roadside marked our turn from Western Hills Drive onto Russell Rd. A few twists and turns, then we saw a parking area (an overflow from the main car park and suitable for large motorhomes).

A short distance along a bush-lined driveway was Quarry Gardens, a subtropical oasis in what was once a stone quarry. Beside the main car park a modern building nestled into the foliage, its design echoing the industrial heritage of the site – many remnants of its stone-quarrying past are integrated into the gardens.

This building housed the Visitor’s Information Centre and Quail Cafe. Over a bridge and inside the building we were tempted to stop for a coffee but decided to explore the gardens first.

Signage outside the building explained some of the history of the gardens. We learned that in the 1940s the quarry was an industrial site and, after its closure in the ‘70s, the land became little more than an overgrown rubbish dump.

Twenty years later, a far-sighted local called Laughton King had the dream of establishing gardens there. The council, who owned the land, came on board and a group of volunteers began the task of clearing the site and establishing a garden.

Now the 24 hectare site is home to a variety of native and exotic plants and is bounded by native bush. As we gazed round we realised the gardens were landscaped within a natural amphitheatre: the hillsides rose steeply – with steps leading up in places to tracks that encircled the gardens.

The old stone quarry has been transformed

We wandered first through the ‘five senses garden’ where we were encouraged to smell, touch, listen and look at the mainly subtropical plants – but not to taste! We were asked to take photos instead.

Winding paths led us past a bromeliad area, studded with orchids, and on to a camellia collection. Many of the 115 varieties donated to the gardens, are unique to the Quarry Gardens, in that they are not to be found in other public gardens anywhere in the world. This must be a Mecca for camellia buffs.

Exotic fauna

We couldn’t help taking photo after photo of the strange and exotic plants. There was a tree with huge thorns growing from its bark. It was called the silk floss tree, which sounds much more benign than the sharp prickles would lead you to expect.

A native of tropical South American forests, it has a cotton-like fibre in its seed pods. Nearby an Australian Burrawang, a cycad dating back to dinosaur days, thrust palm-like leaves skywards, and a chili plant from the Andes came with a warning – its peppers are extremely hot.

Locals to the rescue

At the rear of the gardens a waterfall dropped 40 metres into a man-made, but natural-looking, lake. We took a track to the top of this waterfall and looked down at the gardens spread beneath us. From this vantage point we could fully appreciate the amount of work that has 

gone into establishing and maintaining the gardens. Whangarei Council passed responsibility for the gardens to the Whangarei Quarry Gardens Trust back in 2000 and volunteers meet weekly to tend the gardens and establish new areas.

The local community is justifiably proud of the gardens. This was demonstrated after an arsonist set fires on the hillside around the gardens in 2005. in just one day,10,000 native trees were planted by by 250 volunteers to help revegetate the slopes.

As we walked back down to the cafe for a welcome snack we noticed school children had left brightly painted, concrete-filled gumboots beside plantings of kauri trees that line one of the pathways. They had environmental messages written on them, illustrating that you are never too young to treasure your surroundings. 

Funky shapes

At the Sculpture Northland exhibition, Quarry Gardens

Near the cafe we stopped to admire a sculpture. Created by Chris Booth, the towering wood and stone ‘goddess’ named Varder V, has been designed to slowly decompose and alter over time.

On another occasion we visited the gardens to admire the varied works by local artists and sculptors as part of the Sculpture Northland exhibition. Tucked in among the plantings were everything from dragons to a feline ‘terracatta’ army.

A space for artists

The Quarry Arts Centre, further along the Western Hills, has been a hub for the art and craft community since the 1980s. We drove past a funky mosaic guardian sculpture at the entrance and parked outside the Quarry Cafe.

Unlike the popular Quail Cafe at the Quarry Gardens, this little cafe had a much more hippy vibe. With seating inside for four, while six can sit outside, it must be Whangarei’s tiniest cafe. 

The Arts Centre itself was the brainchild of the late potter Yvonne Rust, who founded the trust. A gallery was first opened in 1984. After a rebuild in 2011, it is now known as the Yvonne Rust Gallery and has regularly changing exhibitions.

We admired the quirky and curious creations in the Grate Plate display. Opposite the gallery we discovered the Quarry Craft Co-op Shop, where we browsed handmade treasures in glass, leather, pottery, greenstone and textiles.

I couldn’t resist some glass earrings, knowing they were unique. Dotted around the quarry were slightly ramshackle – almost organic – buildings: homes and workshops for the artisans who thrive at the Arts Centre.

Quirky sculptures, examples of the artists’ work, could be seen outside the buildings and in gardens. Seeing a sign advertising an upcoming market, we made a note to check it out.

This was an event not to be missed. Live jazz was issuing from the veranda outside the gallery and the area was crammed with stalls selling ceramics, glassware, garden art – there was something for everyone and the Arts Centre was the perfect backdrop.

A bush walk

The start of the walk through the Coronation Reserve

Behind one stall we spotted the start of a walkway and decided to investigate further. This was an entrance into the Coronation Reserve, a stand of native bush in the Western Hills, named to commemorate the coronation of King George V, and with tracks that link both quarries.

We couldn’t resist exploring, so set out from the Quarry Gardens one sunny morning a while later, and followed a track up and into the hills. A turn led into the Coronation Reserve where we walked along the Frank Holman Track, marveling that we were so close to the city yet deep in bush.

Before dropping down into the Quarry Arts Centre we took a side track for a look at a pa site. From here we could get peeks down into Whangarei. Then, after another look around the Quarry Arts Centre, we retraced our steps and rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Quarry Gardens.

Further information

• The Quarry Gardens are at 37A Russell Road, Whangarei. The gardens are open 7 days, 9am - 5pm. Quail Cafe is open Wednesday - Sunday, 9am - 3pm.
• The Quarry Arts Centre is at 21 Selwyn Avenue, Whangarei. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 4.30pm. The cafe is open Monday - Friday, 10am-2pm.
• Information about the tracks in the Coronation Scenic Reserve can be found at wdc.govt.nz. You can also find a downloadable and printable map on this website.