Natalie Akoorie checks into the Quality Hotel Oceans Tutukaka.
Getting there: A long drive from Hamilton, the road trip up north to Tutukaka stretched out to six hours (instead of four and a half) because of Auckland Anniversary Weekend traffic, several toilet stops for a young child, and lunch on the beach in busy Orewa.
Location: The Quality Hotel Oceans Tutukaka is the dominant landmark in this little village - a pretty bay half an hour northeast of Whangarei.
Check-in: A no fuss check-in. Just a warm welcome from the general manager and the key to our room.
Room: A well-appointed en-suite studio with a pull-out bed for our son.
Price: $179 for our twin front room or $129 for the exact same room overlooking the hotel pool at the rear.
What's so good about this place?: The location can't be beaten. It's within a short walk to the marina where Dive Tutukaka takes expeditions to the famous Poor Knights Islands - one of the world's top dive locations - to restaurants, the lighthouse lookout, and even a quaint swimming bay.
And the bad?: No aircon. There was a ceiling fan and it wasn't too hot to sleep, but leaving the windows open meant my preschooler was mauled by mosquitoes. On the second night we lathered up in insect repellent and kept the windows closed.
What's in the neighbourhood?: A general store, an art gallery, a surf shop and a second-hand goods shop plus a plethora of bays and beaches surround Tutukaka like Ngunguru, which has a relatively unknown walking track for those that way inclined. Our pick of the beaches were scenic Matapouri and family-friendly Whanganumu, just a five-minute drive away.
The bed: A super king, which can be pulled apart to make the room a twin, was unbelievably spacious. It has ruined our much smaller queen-size bed for me.
A room with a view?: Because of the hotel's location our first-floor front room overlooked the pretty Tutukaka Marina, and gave us a view from our balcony of the comings and goings below.
Oceans Restaurant at Tutukaka. Photo / Supplied
Bathroom?: Compact but the shower over the bath was hot enough to suffice and there was always plenty of towels.
Noise: Fairly quiet, except for some rowdy teenagers on a nearby tree tyre swing, late one night.
Food and drink: Absolutely five-star. The hotel restaurant, which had seating inside and out, produced the most delicious meals I've eaten in a long time. And for me, a coeliac, what a relief it was to see their various gluten-free options.
Perfect for: A base from which to explore the area and visit the Poor Knights Islands. It's also perfect for functions such as a wedding or meetings and incentives, with conference facilities for up to 100 banquet-style in the ground-floor ballroom.
