What we'd send you out to do.
Everything here is drawn from what we send every guest — the places we actually recommend, from the golf course over the fence to the Matakana market an hour up the road.
Golf at the doorstep.
The fairways run along our boundary, and the clubhouse is worth a visit even if you aren't playing.
Wainui Golf Course
An 18-hole championship layout through the valley's natural contours, plus the Orchard 9 and a driving range. Green fees are open to visitors. Wainui hosts the New Zealand Women's Open from 18–21 March 2027.
The View Restaurant
Casual, elevated dining above the 18th. A post-round craft beer and a wood-fired pizza with the greens rolling out below is a fair way to spend an afternoon.
Te Arai Links
Two championship links courses along white-sand coastline, with exceptional on-site dining. A full day out, and the drive is part of it.
Where to eat, and where to browse.
Orewa is the closest town: a beach, a main street, and better coffee than you'd expect.
The Fat Oyster Bar & Eatery
An upscale but relaxed beachside bar and eatery on the Hibiscus Coast Highway. Fresh oysters, and comfort food with a Kiwi twist, minutes from the beach.
Puff Cafe
A beloved local, hidden down a quiet side street off the main drag. Bold coffee, a proper breakfast and lunch menu, and legendary date scones with raspberry whipped butter.
Cheek and Chong
Modern Asian fusion on the beachfront: sharing plates with vibrant Southeast Asian flavours, fresh seafood and good cocktails.
Romeo Panetteria
The best bread and pastries around. Grab a pastry or a sourdough loaf to have back at the lodge with coffee on the balcony.
Island
A thoughtfully curated fashion and beauty boutique in the heart of Orewa, with a sophisticated edit of New Zealand brands — Karen Walker, Lollys Laundry, Saben.
Sedàe
A stylish boutique on the Hibiscus Coast — good for an elegant new piece for the wardrobe, or a gift while you're wandering the coastal shops.
Walks within twenty minutes.
The lodge sits in three hectares of native bush. When you want to go further, the coast and the kauri are a short drive.
Alice Eaves Scenic Reserve
Well-formed tracks climbing gently through regenerating native forest, among centuries-old kauri. A quiet escape that mirrors the bush here.
Orewa Beach & Te Ara Tahuna
Sweeping golden sand, and a flat 7.6km sealed loop around the tidal estuary. Coffee from the Estuary Arts Centre, paddle boarders and kite surfers to watch.
Wenderholm Regional Park
Where the Pūhoi River meets the Hauraki Gulf — Auckland's first regional park, with sheltered beach, estuary and coastal forest. Take the headland track for the views, or the flat Te Akeake walk along the sandspit. Puhoi village and its pub are five minutes further on.
Art, wine and a Saturday market.
Worth a whole day, and best on a Saturday morning when the market is on.
Brick Bay Wines & Sculpture Trail
A boutique vineyard with a 2km sculpture trail through bush, vines and lakes. The Glass House restaurant, cantilevered over the water, does tastings and seasonal platters.
Sculptureum
Three sculpture gardens and six indoor galleries — a whimsical run through local and international art, with Rothko Restaurant on site.
Matakana Farmers Market
Artisan cheese, organic produce, handmade chocolate, local seafood. Make the scenic drive on a Saturday morning and take breakfast there.
Wild places, and a drive west.
For a longer day out — open sanctuaries north, vineyards and a brewery west.
Tāwharanui Regional Park
588 hectares of white-sand beach, pasture and bird sanctuary. Behind the 2.5km pest-proof fence you can hear kiwi and takahē.
Shakespear Regional Park
Cliff-top views across the Hauraki Gulf, easy trails, and tūī and kererū in the trees on the way round.
The Hunting Lodge
A historic 80-acre estate west of the city: cellar door, outdoor courtyard and an inventive restaurant among the vines.
Hallertau Brewery
A West Auckland staple since 2008: open-air biergarten, tasting paddles, wood-fired pizza and live music at the weekend.
Four rooms, or the whole wing.
Fifteen minutes from Orewa beach, thirty from Auckland, and the golf course over the fence. Double spa baths, kitchenettes, self check-in at any hour.
Planning a trip? Send us your dates.