It's all pukka at Puka Park

At the Pauanui beach you are instantly transported to the very model of our dreams of a relaxed summer weekend. Picture / Derek Flynn

Pauanui has had a bad press and the television documentary Playground for the Rich, with its image of a plastic paradise for heedless hedonists, certainly ruffled the local feathers.

On the last leg of our latest trip there, we were overtaken by two cars driven by a couple of Jack-the-Lads intent on proving there is an inverse relationship between the ability to afford a fast car and having the brains to drive it. Stereotype confirmed, we thought, and it has to be said that there is an element of weirdness about the place.

It has some of the more extravagant flights of fancy inflicted on the field of domestic architecture, ranging from the merely bizarre half-timbered mock Tudor to the designer loony. Beach houses include some fine examples of Lubyanka brutalism, apparently inspired by East European barrack models, alongside which the fibro bach is a thing of beauty.

The residents may protest, but some of it is definitely alien to what we expect to see in New Zealand, which may, of course, say more about our conservatism than our aesthetic sense. The residents may protest that it is an ordinary, if modern, New Zealand coastal settlement but you don't see too many of them with an aircraft parked on the back lawn.

And yet, drop over the sand hill to the beach and you are instantly transported to the typical Kiwi scene, the democracy of the public beach and the very model of our dreams of a relaxed summer weekend.

There are skinny little boys looking raw and unpeeled for their first swims of the season. There are chubby little girls squealing in fake protest as the beastly boys splash them. Blokes who are old enough to know better are sprinting, well, trundling, to catch the waves as the surf breaks with the elusive promise of the great ride.

Those who do know they are too old for that stuff sedately walk along the truly terrific beach which stretches for miles.

It's every cliche in the book, almost bringing a lump to the throat, and we stayed lapping it up until the sun started to sink a little too low. It was time to leave the masses and indulge in a taste of luxury at the Mercure Grand Puka Park Resort.

The surf had been too gnarly for me but we thought we might test the solar heated pool. In my experience of these facilities the word heated is purely notional. One such example lives in our family memory as the generator of Ian Thorpe-rivalling speed as swimmers hurtled across to get out before vital bits froze off.

But this was delightfully soothing with no shock of chill to upset the system, a symbol of the comfort which characterises the place. If the move on to the beach presents a different face of Pauanui, so does Puka Park.

Although it is within minutes of the beach, its atmosphere is rural tranquillity. The accommodation is in wooden chalets distributed among the trees, tucked into the side of the hill at the southern end of the town. Cars are strictly isolated to the lower levels and only the whispering electric cart carrying your bags disturbs the guests.

The cottages are externally simple but boast five-star conditions inside. We were tempted to just lounge and read, with ideas of using the excellent little gym or the tennis courts or venturing on to their guest bicycles quickly discarded

But more tempting was the thought of a pre-dinner drink, enjoying the view from the huge decking of the central block which offered the alternative of a pleasant lounge if the outdoors turned a little too chilly.

The hotel-standard facilities are consistent with the excellent service and the more than respectable dinner, although I remain baffled as to why somebody murdering Unchained Melody in the background is thought to be an essential aid to digestion.

Although this resort is not the cheapest option if you want a weekend by the sea, it was within the means of a wide enough cross-section of guests to make people-watching a rewarding experience.

After the level of the day before, breakfast was very average and a bit of a let down, but it did not cast a cloud over what had been a thoroughly pleasant experience. As we headed into the car park the peace was shattered by a young man starting his Ferrari. I'm not sure what that was telling us.

* John Gardner was a guest of the Mercure Grand Puka Park resort.

What to do

If you tire of the joys of Pauanui, Puka Park can lay on a variety of activities, taking advantage of its handy situation for the Coromandel. These include canoe safaris round the estuary, boat trips to Slipper Island, four-wheel-drive excursions, gliding, helicopter rides and horse trekking.

There is a rash of golf courses in the area and it's a few minutes' drive to Tairua, which has pubs and eating places, including the pleasant Out of the Blue, where the concept of slow food can take on a whole new meaning.

What it costs

Costs vary but, between December 1 and January

31, prices start from $310 plus GST a night a

couple for chalet accommodation and a cooked breakfast.

Getting in touch

Mercure Grand Puka Park Resort, Mount Ave, Pauanui Beach. Phone: 0274 700039.