Orewa Campground is a good option if you have little kids. Firstly you don't have to spend 17 hours…read morebattling traffic in a hot stuffy car; you can take the Northern Motorway for less than 30min pretty much to the front gate. The campground itself is very family friendly and has a playgroud, basketball hoop and great games room. Of course the biggest draw card it that its right next to Orewa Beach. I'm not the hugest fan of Orewa Beach, it's shallow and flat; but this I guess is what makes it popular with young families. Orewa is a nice place to holiday, they've recently renovated the boulevard and it's open and paved. There are good food options along the front stretch if you get sick of baked beans on the camp cooker. And there's a perfectly positioned ice cream shop across the road from the campground.

People in New Zealand -- the West Pacific -- think that water is "really cold" and requires a…read morewetsuit when it is somewhere in the mid 70s F -- but for me -- that's the perfect temperature. Over here in the East Pacific, we have MUCH chillier water. I brought my own snorkel gear, found a nice family who were not leaving any time soon and deposited my stuff near the non-swimming grandfather to watch, though, being NZ, I had little to worry about. Then - I hopped in the water and swam off to circumnavigate Goat Island, solo and without (gasp!) a PFD or lifeguard. I saw heaps of rays and even some reef sharks. The current between the island and the shore is a bit pushy, so I recommend checking the currents and swimming anticlockwise on an ebbing tide. Total swim was about 2200 meters, and very doable for a strong swimmer. If you're not a strong swimmer - bring a SUP or a kayak and have fun!

The golden beach at Goat Island is the place I completed one of my bucket list items : to skinny…read moredip. It all happened on a sunny afternoon when my boyfriend and I decided to get away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland. We got to Goat Island beach, parked the car and sat on one of the grass patches overlooking the beach and other spectacular views while we munched on some home made goodies. After lunch we decided to walk around, we had no plans to swim as we had dinner plans later on that evening. We walked in the water and soon found ourselves in another area where there is a fountain, I stripped down to my under garments and went in the water. The water was clear, had that green marine colour to it. It wasn't too cold and it felt so good against my skin. Next thing you know I had one less item on my bucket list. Goat island the perfect place to shorten your bucket list, swim, have a picnic and snorkel.

The park is well maintained, with a safe to swim at beach. Great walks along the cliffsread more

Auckland really is a beautiful city with so many outdoor beauties…read more Long Bay Regional Park is a sure winner, and a superb place to take the little ones on the weekend. On my recent second mother's day, my family and I travelled to Long Bay to take part in the Free Volunteer Tree Planting at Long Bay Regional Park. Parking close to the awesome kid's playground with flying fox, we had a 15 minute uphill walk to the park location that had been chosen for planting. This event had been organised by the wonderful Auckland City Council. The stunning weather really brought out the serenity of mother nature. Aucklander's and foreigners showed up from all around to plant kowhai's, flax, cabbage trees and more. This beautiful park has so much to offer; a slice of paradise where young and old can come, relax and enjoy nature in its purest form. I recommend taking one of the many walks through tracks labelled in the park, or even enjoying leisure time walking or running in your spare time. You have so much on offer, whether you want to do nothing or do lots. The ocean is at the parks edge, so be sure to stroll on the beautiful long beach and take a swim in the glorious ocean too.

I caught my first fish off the Matakana Wharf. It was only 5cm long, but what a proud moment it…read morewas! The Matakana Wharf isn't just for kids fishing though, there have been some serious Snapper caught from there. If you get the tide right, it's a peaceful place to drop a line in. It's also a good place to kayak. Again check the tides, but you can paddle all the way down the river to Sandspit from here. It took us a fair few hours (we were against the tide) so I would suggest a support crew at the other end for a hot choccie and a pick up. For something more mellow, there are picnic tables at the Matakana Wharf too. It's a good place to take your fish and chips or have a picnic tea

Ti Point and Ti Point wharf are a perfect place to take the family and spend the day. The wharf is…read moresmall, but gets busy with fisherman. It's great for fishing with the kids; you can usually pull in a sprat or two with a hand line over the side. If you walk along the coast from the wharf there are some beautiful old trees to set up under for the day. They are great for the kids to climb and some have rope swings or picnic tables. If the tide is out there is a little sandy bay protected by rocks perfect for swimming. There is also a walkign track that awinds aroudn the coast, where rocks can be accessed for heavier duty fishing. Ti Point is a little difficult to get to; you turn off from Leigh road down a winding metal road. Parking is also a little sparse. But once you're there it's a great little place to explore.

Puhoi is a perfect escape from the city for a day…read more The village itself is adorable, replete with a quaint library, general store, local pub and (if your lucky)...bohemian dancers. Yep, not a typo. There was a bohemian dance performance in the local hall during my visit. Anyway, kayaking. That's what this review is about. At PRC, located right in the center of town, you can hire kayaks (single or double) or canoes and enjoy a leisurely paddle along scenic Puhoi river. This isn't a guided tour - which, frankly would be unnecessary given the straightforward route and calm waters. Plus, this way you can go at your own pace and choose to meander off piste as much (or as little) as you like. I took all the little side routes since I'm blessed (cursed?) with endless curiosity and it took me a bit less than 2 hours to arrive at Wenderholm Regional Park. It's pretty easy paddling (especially when there aren't strong winds and the tide's going with you). The owners of PRC were professional, helpful and clearly passionate about what they do (clear WIN in my book). A single kayak was $50 and they also provided a shuttle pickup from the Wenderholm back into town. Nice. This trip is suitable for all levels and a great way to get out on the water!

Kayaking the Puhoi River is a really neat thing to do if you have a day free on the weekend. You…read morecan hire a kayak from with the Puhoi Village or Wenderholm Beach and paddle either up or down the river. It only takes around 2 hours one way, the water is generally flat and it's an easy relaxing journey. It's gentle enough for the kids to do it too (I think I was 10 when we first did it).It's really peaceful getting amongst the mangroves and navigating your way along the river. If you leave from Puhoi have a BBQ at Wenderholm when you finish (they have public BBQs; bring a few coins for the gas operated ones). If you leave from Wenderholm there's always the Puhoi Pub for a celebratory beverage on arrival

One of the lesser known bays in the Matakana region, Campbell's is a secluded wee spot perfect for…read morethe kids. It's very tidal; at low tide nearly the whole bay empties of water leaving behind a load of mud to frolic in and plenty of crabs to stalk. At high tide it's knee deep for miles, and the water is usually calm; so again good for the little ones. Once you've dragged them from the water there's a great playground to clamber about on and a line of water front trees to picnic under. Campbell's is not just for the tiny members of the family, there's also a good cricket pitch for bat-down or a large area for soccer or touch. Down the estuary end is also a good place to put the kayaks in. At high tide you can paddle quite far up the river for an adventure in the mangroves

This has to be one of the busiest beaches during the summer months! And it's pretty obvious why…read more The beach itself is absolutely beautiful. The water is clear and crisp and the sand is squeaky clean... it actually squeaks sometimes when you rub your feet in it! This is a great beach for the family as more often that not there are little waves, which make for some fun boogie boarding or body surfing. As Jacob said it's not often that there's real surf-able waves here but when the east coast swell gets up and hits at the right angle you might be in for a treat. There are some awesome rock pools to explore and a hill to climb which gives you a great look out over the bay. But be careful! I once saw a group of young kids get washed along the rocks as a set wave rolled in. Make sure you accompany your kids and only go exploring if there aren't big waves and the tide's not too high!

Beautiful Anchor Bay is a day trip spent perfectly in one of our regions golden treasures…read more I spent Easter Sunday here with my son and partner, we arrived not too long after lunch, and the car park close by was already packed to maximum capacity. A short walk down to the beach via the beach path and we found a lovely patch of sand with our name on it. I spent my time here swimming in the beautiful clean cool ocean, body surfing waves, and sun tanning. I recommend if you're not too relaxed to take a walk down the beach towards the rock pools which fill up and explore a deep human sized rock pool that you can dive bomb into! Sublime. The little kids will enjoy running about the rock pools and soaking in them, or searching for the little and big crabs that call it their home. The oceans out beyond the bay are protected as a marine reserve so the fish/sea creatures are happy and you won't see a fisherman in this regional park area. I love the peace I feel at Anchor Bay and always cherish my time here.