Tutukaka is a gentle, 30-minute drive east of Whangarei. Here you'll find Tutukaka marina, the launching pad for divers to the Poor Knights, and further up the road, just past Matapouri, is gorgeous Whale Bay. It's an ideal weekend getaway from Auckland.
We left around 6pm on Friday - while the motorway was still thick with traffic - and arrived at Oceans Resort in Tutukaka township at 9.30pm. Oceans is a luxury hotel built on the spot of the old Tutukaka pub which burned down a few years back now.
This tiny township is also a good jump-off point to other parts of Northland, and coming here during cool weather shows that the area need not be just a summer holiday destination.
After a mini sleep-in on Saturday morning we head back along the road we drove last night, with moss-covered stone fences guiding our way, to Whangarei and the Growers Market in Water St car park. It was the first farmers' market in Australasia and the produce on offer includes everything from vegetables, flowers, pestos, smoked red onions to garlic, shrubs and coffee.
The motley looking - but very friendly - chap at the smoked onion and garlic stall says they're ideal for putting in a casserole or sliced up finely in a salad.
"And they're highly addictive so we'll see you next weekend," he smiles, as he pops an extra bulb of garlic in our brown paper bag.
Over at the red chilli stand the guy tells us they'll give you blisters on your tongue. We just laugh and he retorts, "No, I had some on my lips." He grabs his bottom lip and turns it inside out to show us.
Refusing to be put off our breakfast we call at the crepe maker. At $3.50 each, for something so thin and flimsy, the crepes might seem expensive but they are delicious. Can I suggest a few slices of banana and maple syrup? And be warned, you'll want more than one.
The Growers' Market is part of the Northland Food and Wine Trail which started in May. It has more than 60 stops, including Mangawhai's Smashed Pipi Cafe in the lower reaches of Northland to Waikokopu Cafe on the Treaty grounds in Waitangi to Karikari Estate Vineyard and Winery at Matai Bay in the Far North. For more information on the trail click on the link below.
It's a miserable day but we find some shelter at the Whangarei Basin which has a wide range of shops, museums, galleries, and cafes to keep you occupied. For lunch - yes, more food - check out Mokaba Coffee House which serves everything from big breakfasts to yummy pecan tarts.
As the rain finally eases we head back to Tutukaka for a wander round the sleepy marina, suspecting it wouldn't be as restful in summer. There are a few hearty souls in wetsuits milling round and waiting for their diving lesson.
Dive Tutukaka, run by Kate Malcolm, is the most well-established dive company, offering diving instruction and trips to the Poor Knights. And in case you're wondering why we didn't venture out to the Poor Knights - one of the top 10 diving spots in the world - it's because I have a phobia about depths. Don't ask.
However, says Kate, for chickens like me there is snorkelling. Oh well, next time. Let's just stick to the wining and dining this weekend.
On Saturday night we eat at Knights Restaurant, on the ground floor of Oceans Resort. Under the direction of executive chef Jason Hall this place has been making quite a name for itself.
We go for a Triplebank Riesling, from Marlborough while we check out the menu.
It would be wrong not to have seafood, so we start with marinated and seared scallops with a wholegrain mustard glaze, smoked salmon and purple sage risotto and the yellow fin tuna with bocconcini, fennel and citrus salad.
For main I have the slow cooked lamb belly combined with a marinated and grilled lamb rack (yes, it is a decadent dish but delicious) and Libby has seared Northland snapper with spiced prawns, roast butternut, olive and glazed onion salad.
We have no room for dessert but the waitress convinces us to have a cleansing fruit sorbet.
Before we head home on Sunday we drive a little further north to relax on the beach at Matapouri. There's a bracing breeze gusting down the beach but we nestle into the sand dunes and the sun makes us all cosy.
Looking out at the Poor Knights, centred perfectly between the craggy pincers of the bay, we can only daydream about owning a slice of land on this beach front.
After a quick call for one last treat at Waipu's Pizza Barn we head home. We haven't been away for long but it's incredible what a short holiday, topped off with a beer and pizza, can do for your soul.
CHECKLIST
Further information: See northlandnz.com.
Scott Kara travelled to Tutukaka courtesy of Destination Northland.
