Tutukaka: Resort that keeps them coming back

There are plenty of nearby places to swim, dive, snorkel or fish.

Pacific Rendezvous is one of Northland's most beloved resorts - and most spectacularly situated, sitting high on a peninsula overlooking Tutukaka Harbour and the Poor Knights and offering breathtaking 360-degree views.

I was excited to be visiting the resort, established in 1960, for what I thought was the first time when I learned, after talking to my mother, that I'd actually stayed at the resort in the early 70s on a family summer holiday.

Dim and distant memories of that childhood holiday full of sun, beaches, snorkelling and boat trips started to emerge in sharper focus and the knowledge made my return 35 years later, with my own 3-year-old daughter, seem strangely predestined.

Lots has changed in the intervening years of course but Pacific Rendezvous has sensibly continued to do what it does best - offer holidaymakers a quiet, affordable and well-maintained place to unwind and relax in a spectacular setting that only a multi-millionaire could otherwise afford.

The resort also has a beguiling, old-school Kiwi charm and takes care to cater for the whole family. To keep the kids occupied there's a tennis court, putt-putt golf, a playground and games room with pool and table tennis tables, books and TV, ensuring that if those rainy days do hit the winterless north they just fly by.

For the more activity orientated there's a wealth of options on offer nearby - diving trips to the Poor Knights marine reserve (the area has been included in the top ten dive spots in the world), golf at the nearby Mt Denby links or surfcasting from the shoreline.

Alternatively, many use Pacific Rendezvous as a base and make day trips to the Bay of Islands, Waitangi, Waipoua Forest or Whangarei Heads. There's also a safe, private beach a few minutes walk away.

A one-night stay at the beginning of autumn meant relaxation and lazing about were our primary concerns, and our split-level, two-bedroom apartment fitted our needs perfectly.

All 30 units at Pacific Rendezvous are completely self contained with comfy beds, full kitchens and Sky TV - although got little use as we were immediately drawn to those spectacular views. It felt like we were in our own private paradise.

One advantage of Pacific Rendezvous' vast land area means that even in the busy summer season the resort retains a sense of privacy and exclusivity. The first thing we did was unpack a picnic lunch and ate it on the freshly mown grass outside our apartment while our daughter took anarchic delight in throwing her lunch to the seagulls and then chasing them around.

Surrounding Pacific Rendezvous is an array of beautiful beaches and stunning coastal scenery. Sandy Bay is renowned for its exciting surf. Or take a walk through lush, native bush to Whale Bay, used by Maori tribes during whaling expeditions.

We decided just to take a short drive up the coast to Matapouri, the popular holiday spot. On the way back we drove past Tutukaka to Ngunguru for a simple but delicious dinner of fish'n'chips, although Tutukaka Marina offers a range of more formal dining at places like Schnappa Rock and Knights Restaurant.

If you were planning a longer stay the trick would be to stock up on supplies in Whangarei (just 25km away) or, better still, try your luck with the fishing rod as there are numerous surfcasting spots nearby. And there's a shop on-site which sells all-important holiday staples like milk, iceblocks and cans of baked beans.

"This really is a resort," said our host, Wendy, as we lounged in deckchairs by the pool watching our daughter splash around happily in the spa. "Lots of people just come here and never leave the property their entire stay."

And, as I had inadvertently discovered, it's the sort of place families keep coming back to - generation after generation. A man I chatted with who stayed with his family at the unit across from us said he had been visiting Pacific Rendezvous for years.

"We love it here," he told me while unpacking his car. "It has a real sense of community about it, especially in the summer months when you often end up meeting the same families year after year."

"Your kids meet their kids and they spend each summer together and grow up together. We often have barbecues out there in the pit when the weather's good."

Sadly, that evening the weather turned - the convivial barbie would have to wait.

Instead we became weather voyeurs and watched the rain move in across the sea from our ranchslider, and although a tempestuous autumn storm soon hit we felt snug and cosy.

By morning the weather had cleared and we went swimming at the private beach before grudgingly driving back to Auckland, promising to give ourselves more time on our next visit.

Whether it be for a brief winter getaway or a long summer vacation, once you experience the down-to-earth, Kiwi charm Pacific Rendezvous offers you'll find yourself returning again and again.