A Road Trip Home
Port Waikato
On Saturday morning, post-concert, and after a fulsome and delicious breakfast (part of the deal when booking at Airdale Suites Hotel), we headed south to Mt Maunganui, then decided to take a detour.
Taking the Saddleback Road off-ramp at the near end of the southern motorway, we headed south for about 20 minutes to Tuakau, crossing the pretty white, curvaceous Tuakau Bridge across the Waikato River to its west side -towards Port Waikato.
I have always been curious about this part of South Auckland. It evokes visions of a quaint, sunny village nestled on the west coast of New Zealand, offering a lifestyle imagined if living by the seaside, just an hour north of Auckland City or the same distance south to Hamilton City.
Although the port is now defunct, Port Waikato is also a settlement steeped in Maori history. Our first settlers established their homes 700-800 years ago on the banks of the Waikato River, which provided a vital highway for waka (canoes) and a generous food source.
When we visited, it was a cloudless winter morning, sunshine bringing out all combinations of visitors and locals, recognisable by their gumboots, fishing rods, and heavy winter jumpers, completing the wildness of living close to the convergence of the Waikato River and the Tasman Sea.
The seas were very blue and calm, breaking frothy waves onto low-lying, rugged rock formations. The sand, silver. A striking sight to a stranger’s eyes.
The sweeping, curving beach even has its own little surf lifesaver club. Important if people are brave enough and strong enough to take on the usually pounding west coast waves. Fishing is a popular pastime here, too.
About an hour in, we decided to head a bit further south, enjoying, as we drove past, the opportunity to peek at little cottages and baches set on large contoured sections that make up the modern-day village of Port Waikato.
I can imagine, in summer, like all New Zealand beachside towns, that this small settlement takes on a whole different vibe as visitors make their mark for a few short weeks.
MTR Tip – The closest supermarket is 20 minutes north at Tuakau.
Nikau Cave and Cafe
From Port Waikato, an approximate 45-minute drive around picturesque, windy country roads brought us views of stretches of rolling farmland and peaks of the Tasman Sea in the distance. And as we got closer, the landscape changed into acres of limestone jutting rugged hills.
This land is part of Limestone Downs, a sheep, beef and dairy farm that was used to shoot part of the Oscar-winning Sir Peter Jackson trilogy – The Lord of the Rings movies.
It’s a stark and mystically beautiful land, and it’s not hard to imagine little hobbits running in amongst the rocks, hills and caves. While amidst all this loveliness, we arrived quite soon at the Nikau Cave & Cafe. A charmingly rustic place in the middle of nowhere, doing a roaring trade.
The business is made up of delicious home-cooked food and freshly home-roasted “Nikau” coffee beans, bike riding tours, cave tours ( the Nikau Caves), bush walks, and a lodge with accommodation for people travelling through or planning to stay a while.
The cafe and lodge are also a popular stop-off for touring bikers, as you will see from the photos below.
The building is beautifully appointed, with a cathedral window that looks straight out over the surrounding hills and bush, and is furnished with handmade, honey-coloured Kauri tables and hand-turned chairs. The owners, Ann and Philip, also cater meals for their guests. And if their cafe food is anything to go by, their meals would be deliciously moreish.
We enjoyed a fresh-baked savoury muffin – yum, and so tasty, and a piece of home-baked Carrot Cake full of flavour and freshness, as if straight out of the oven. I enjoyed a pot of tea, and he imbibed the Nikau roasted coffee, which was quaffed very quickly. That’s a good sign!
As an addition to its other charms, al fresco dining is available with rustic Macrocarpa tables, chairs, benches, and seats, dotted among the flowering manuka trees, and a thick green lawn leading to a brook running fast through the overhanging branches and reeds.
If you want simple bliss, this is the place to come.
MTR Info:
Guided Caving tours – NZ$65 per adult; Anyone at school is half price.
Please note: Hours of operation for Nikau Cave and Cafe vary depending on the time of year. Contact Ann or Philip via their website for details.
South/West Waikato – Last Leg
As we continued South, homeward bound, the views of verdant hillsides rolling into valleys and up again into tree-lined ridges, the Waikato River flowing mightily through fields, next to road sites and under bridges, is a constant reminder of the special character of this productive and all-encompassing region.
If you’re looking for a short road trip either to or from the Waikato to Auckland, this one is a great way to see some of the most beautiful pastoral land and views in the country.
And if you have an hour, a day, or longer, there are plenty of stop points offering all you need to make your stay memorable, comfortable and, most of all, special.
If you would like to know more about this or any story published on Mytravelroom please contact me on janeco@mytravelroom.co.nz
