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Town in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Photo: Ulrich Lange, Dunedin, New Zealand, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Whakatāne is a coastal town in the eastern Bay of Plenty on New Zealand's North Island. It is one of the sunniest towns in New Zealand. The nearby village of Ōhope, only about 7 minutes by car through a gorgeous pass with stunning views of the ocean, features one of the best beaches in the entire country, which has won numerous "Best Beach" awards over the years.
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Museum display and exhibition galleries, with changing exhibitions.
Park with a rose garden and a Japanese garden.
Dolphin and seal watching or swimming. Four hour trips in the vicinity of White and Whale Islands. Fast stable boats with trained crews. All equipment supplied. A Department of Conservation concessionaire and approved by Qualmark New Zealand as a certified visitor activity. Day charters also available for inshore and deep sea fishing, diving and sightseeing. Groups up to 15. Tackle and equipment for hire.
Local operators KG Kayaks run guided kayaking tours to offshore Whale Island as well as guided tours and kayak hire at nearby Ohiwa Harbour. Dolphins, orca and seals are regularly sighted along this stretch of coast.
4-hour guided tour of the island, which is a native wildlife sanctuary. See native birds and New Zealand fur seals and swim at a geothermal hot water beach.
The Footsteps of Toi
A walkway that shows off Whakatāne's natural beauty. Many locals walk or run these paths as they train for events. The walkway is a loop between Whakatāne township and Ōhope Beach: one side takes you along the coastline and through major reserves; the other takes you through beautiful bush settings. The total 16 km trip can be completed in 5-7 hours and can be demanding at times. Pack a rain coat and warm clothes, as the weather can change quickly. There are signposts detailing important history of the area. Some of the places are pa (Māori fortified village) sites, so please be respectful of these.
About 6 km from Whakatāne in the town of Ōhope, offering swimming, surfing and other beach activities.
Patrick and Wendy's lovely little café; free WiFi. Coffee is roasted on-site, ultra fresh and tasty. Lovely folks let customers linger, charge their laptops and use WiFi. WiFi is not cheap in NZ, so this is really kind.
Serves the full range of NZ café fare. Try the eggs benedict. Full lunch menu including fish and chips, thai prawns, salads, and pasta dishes. Seafood chowder sometimes available. Excellent pastry case and other cabinet foods. Indoor and outdoor seating.
Gourmet burgers made from NZ beef ground on-site. Vegan burger menu as well featuring portobello mushrooms, falafel, or jackfruit. Any of their beef burgers can be ordered with a falafel patty, which is good for vegetarians. Nice sides including cheese fries, kumara fries, onion rings, etc. Beer, wine, and mixed drinks are available. Dine-in or takeaway.
Good fish and chips takeaway, as well as toasted sandwiches. Daily specials as well as "fish of the day" sometimes. Freshly caught raw fish is available as well, plus Māori-style ceviche called "rawfish", mussels, oysters, and so on.
Large café with covered outdoor seating. Famous for fresh berries harvested on-site, and you can also pick your own in season. Fabulous ice creams made from these berries, as well as coffees and the usual café fare. Has a large playground for kids, a basketball court, volleyball courts, and a petting zoo, all free of charge. Also offers miniature golf (not free). The attached shop sells fresh and frozen berries as well as berry products like jam.
Small café specialising in ice creams, also has pastries and coffee. Fresh berries for sale in season. Large outdoor seating area with a playground and jumping pillow for the kids.
An ice cream truck usually stationed in the car park next to Harvey Norman (furniture store) at the Hub shopping centre. Look for the flags. Excellent ice creams with local berries mixed in to order.
Hotel dating back to 1895 with single, double and bunk bed rooms, above The Craic Irish pub.
Supermarket
Supermarket
A green grocer, it also has smoothies made to order, real fruit ice cream made to order, and soup of the day
By car
Whakatāne is less than 100 kilometres from the cities of Rotorua and Tauranga. It is less than 4 hours drive from Auckland and Hawke's Bay and 2½ hours from Gisborne, Hamilton and Taupo.
By bus
Intercity runs a daily service each way between Auckland and Gisborne, stopping at Whakatāne. From Auckland it runs through Hamilton and Rotorua, and it carries on through Opotiki to Gisborne.
Whakatāne is not a large town, and thus has limited public transport. The Baybus service runs around the town and then to Ōhope. It doubles as a school bus during school starting and ending times (8AM-ish and 3PM-ish).
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Whakatāne · Regional · WHK
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