Van (11)

Tips & Tricks

• Bring toilet paper 🧻
• Shut door because mosquitos
• Prepare for 1,100 stairs. Literally.
• Go to island at low tide, at the beach which has the toilet on the way.
• Best swim is at the beach is further away from the toilet .
• Trust me, it’s a bad toilet 💩

This was a beautiful hike. I loved the views of Mt.Manaia, and the Whangarei harbour. I loved all the native wildlife. We saw a Northland robin, fairy tern and heard a ruru.

I enjoyed the the challlenge of 1,100 stairs, and the closeness of the two beaches.

I loved how the hut is nestled in the bush.

Peach Cove Hut

Bodhi (8)

Tips & Tricks

• Bring toilet paper!
• Boil water because there was mosquito larvae in teh water
• Sleep on the bottom bunk because the top is hot and have more mozzies
• Bring a lantern
• The best beach for swimming is the one furthest away from the toilet (best at low tide)

This was a great hut and good hike. At the start on teh way back there are A LOT of stairs, so wear comfortable hiking boots. Be prepare to sleep with other people, in close contact, people you don’t know. There are great views on the hike of the ocean and headland and Whangarei Harbour too. At one of the beaches there is a big rocky island that at low tide is accesible by wading. There is a sudden drop off there too, great for snorkelling. It is a fu island to play on with cool ledges. The other beach (at high tide) looks just like rocks but at low tide there is plenty of sand to enter the water on and play in. Great digging! You can build dams and create some cool channels to play in. We even spotted a baby fairy tern! Also, make sure you pack a bright torch as the hut is dark at night.

Peach Cove Hut

Mum

Tips and Tricks

• Depending on how old your kids are, pack plenty of snacks as they can be a great motivator. Atlas (4) found the stairs really challenging, but once his older brother started offering him gummy bears for every bunch of stairs he climbed, he was off.
• Bring your own toilet paper.
• We take long range walkie-talkies so the big boys can go ahead if Atlas is going a bit slow for them.
• Depending on how many there are of you and how your kids feel about bunking with strangers, you could potentially book the whole hut out. I felt sorry for the couple who stayed when we did!
• They had a pan and some cutlery there to use.

This was a lovely walk, a bit of a challenge with kids, too. The start of it is straight up for ages. It levels out, but you are on a slight incline most of the time. Once you reach the top of the mountain you head straight back down the other side. It is very steep and yes, you have to walk back up it to get out the next day! I would describe it as short and sharp. We set out at lunchtime so we could take our time and not worry about it getting dark. The beach was so lovely to swim at! There is one beach that is very rocky, and another that’s great for swimming at low tide. It’s definitely worth doing!