When you scan the map for likely places to stay for your summer holiday, Kaiteriteri has to be right there at the top of the list. But once lockdown restrictions allow, don't let cooler weather put you off visiting.
On a recent trip, determined to dodge the showers, I zipped up my jacket and followed the track south to Dummy Bay and Stephens Bay. Backtracking my way along Little Kaiteriteri Beach, I climbed the hill at the north end, stopped to take in the views, and listen to the tūī before zig-zagging my way down to the estuary end of Kaiteriteri Beach.
After a brief stop at the Kaiteriteri Store for a coned icecream made using real fruits (yes, even in the middle of winter), I was ready to continue on to the northern end of the beach and up the hill to the incredible view at Kākā Point. Then more by accident I stumbled on the track that led down to the tiny secluded Breaker Bay.
At night during the colder months, the little blue penguin comes ashore along Little Kaiteriteri to nest. They waddle up the beach at dusk to nest under houses and among debris and in burrows in residents' gardens. The locals work hard to protect these precious natives by making nesting boxes for breeding couples. I could hear their calls from where I was staying. I hadn't realised they made so much noise.
