With an abundance of white sandy beaches, lots of hikes and history in the Pāpāmoa Hills, and plenty to see, do, eat and drink, Pāpāmoa is the perfect spot for a family weekend.
Where to eat and drink in Pāpāmoa
The Island craft beer pub is fantastic andshould be your first port of call for an afternoon drink. It's incredibly family-friendly, with a brand new playground to keep the young-uns busy and a giant outdoors area so you can enjoy the summer sunshine.
As well as their own range of craft beer, they also offer a host of others, all on tap, and do some great grub. It's hard to go past the Hot Pickle Chicken burger ... Best of all, you can order everything online while you're there and they'll bring your food and drink right over to your table without you needing to get up. theisland.nz
is another favourite for great pub food and selection of craft beers. They do regular meal deals and open mic nights and have Moa on tap.
Walking in the Papamoa hills. Photo / Quinn O'Connell
Otherwise, at the beach, fish 'n' chips are the order of the day. If you're after something fancier than takeaways, walk a bit further to Fashion Island Shopping Centre to catch Fishop. This place offers a fancy upmarket twist on the traditional favorite. You can get your fish battered, pan-fried, with a gluten-free option available, as well as deliciousness like fish tacos, deep-fried pickles, sticky ribs and mushroom arancini balls. Don't go past the cheesy dog, which is a pleasingly innovative new take on the hot dog, offering a goopy layer of cheese between the sausage and the batter. Yum! You can even dine in to enjoy the craft beer on tap or take it away.
There's also a bunch of great cafes to recharge at scattered around town. Blackberry Eatery in Fashion Island (come for the french toast stack, stay for the fried potato and chorizo plate), Henry & Ted (a coffee shop in nearby Golden Sands) and Pearl Kitchen (hearty breakfasts by day, wood-fired pizza by night) are all worth a visit.
Situated right on the beachfront, Pāpāmoa Beach Resort campground is ideal. With everything from a basic patch of grass to pitch your tent right through to self-contained cabins and luxury glamping options, it's the best place to stay for a beach getaway.
As well as having the beach on your front step, you're also right across the road from a strip of shops that include a dairy, a fantastic bakery, a cafe and - most importantly - the fish 'n' chip shop. Walk a teensy bit further and you'll get to The Island (mentioned above) and the Pāpāmoa Mall, where you'll find supermarkets to stock up your camping supplies as well as the usual sort of mall shops. papamoabeach.co.nz
