The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is author Ataria Sharman's dream luxury New Zealand holiday destination. Photo / Supplied
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is author Ataria Sharman's dream luxury New Zealand holiday destination. Photo / Supplied
The Pantograph Punch editor and children's author Ataria Sharman reveals her NZ holiday memories
What are your favourite memories from childhood family holidays in New Zealand?
As a kid, we'd drive 12 hours from Wellington to Matauri Bay campgrounds 20 minutes out of Kerikeri. We'd go with the whole whānau, my aunties and uncles and cousins because that's where we're from, where our marae is. The campgrounds are set on a stunning beachside location with a hill you can walk up and at the top is a memorial to the sunken Rainbow Warrior. I remember seeing photos of my cousin and I going horse riding along the beach, and of us kids jumping in puddles outside of our tents.
Editor and author Ataria Sharman spent childhood holidays at Matauri Bay campgrounds, 20 minutes out of Kerikeri. Photo / Supplied
Where is your favourite off the beaten track/secret spot in NZ to get away from it all?
I'm based in Whangārei, so of course, it's got to be another location in sunny Te Tai Tokerau, the winterless North. After a busy time, my partner and I took our first holiday in ages, a weekend away in Ōpononi at the Copthorne The Heads Hokianga. It was just delightful – a secluded location set on a pure sandy beachfront with a wharf, restaurant, and a pool. Everything you need for a relaxing holiday. And it's only a short drive to Waipoua Forest, where you can do the walk to the famous kauri tree Tāne Mahuta. One of the best things was the hotel breakfast. Early morning sunrise and all you can eat with restaurant views overlooking a watery vista, sand dunes and forest as far as you can see.
Ataria Sharman is the editor of The Pantograph Punch, and author of new book Hine and the Tohunga Portal (Huia Publishers, RRP$25), on sale now. Photo / Supplied
If you were heading on a family getaway now, where would you go?
Paihia because it's close to Whangārei (45 minutes' drive), and it's got the hotels, shops, cafes, and restaurants to keep us busy, so my partner and I don't get bored in each other's company. Paihia reminds me a bit of the Sunshine Coast in Australia – the Te Tai Tokerau equivalent anyway. It's a sunny beachside town.
The South Island. I've done it before with an ex-partner. We started with the ferry from Wellington and drove through Nelson and down the West Coast. Then we went up to Hanmer Springs and Christchurch and from there to Wānaka and Queenstown. On the drive back to the ferry we spent a night in Kaikōura. Highlights were the West Coast clifftop views, an exhibition on The Luminaries (the book) in Hokitika, snow-tipped mountain peaks seen from the hot pools at Hanmer, and an autumnal walk around Queenstown's parks littered with orange, red and yellow leaves. Although I'm loath to admit, the views were nothing I've experienced in the North Island, and the forests felt more expansive and untouched. I've done it once before, but oh, I'd do it again. Maybe this time with the new beau.
And if you could choose one ultimate, luxury, dream holiday in NZ, where would you go?
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay. I once heard Barack Obama stayed there. I think of it as the Northland luxury lodge for the rich and famous. It has a golf course, private beach and 6000 acres of nature walks. None of my whānau who are from Matauri has ever been able to afford to stay there. I'd like to stay there and be able to say that I had, and maybe tell them what it's like.
Pantograph Punch editor Ataria Sharman is the author of Hine and the Tohunga Portal, a fast-paced fantasy adventure for anyone interested in Māori culture. Photo / Supplied
Ataria Sharman is the author of Hine and the Tohunga Portal (Huia Publishers, RRP$25), on sale now
