R&R in Matarangi

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My number one advice that I learnt on this trip is that when you are travelling around a country by car, it is a good idea to have a spare Fan Belt handy to replace for when the car breaks down! Which is exactly what happened to me when I was travelling up to Matarangi on New Years Eve!

Having to work on the last day of the year is a bit of a bummer, so I tried to be prepared the night before so I wouldn't need to get everything ready for the day that I left. It ened up taking much longer than the usual 2.5 - 3hr trip up to Matarangi from where I live in Hamilton; having just made it to a town called Thames (which is about half way to Matarangi), all of a sudden the car "Charge" and "Heat" lights came on! So we stopped straight away when we saw that - lucky this didn't happen when we were on the coastal road between Thames and the Coromandel Township! As there is nowhere to really stop on the narrow coastal road. Amazing scenery though!

We finally arrived into Matarangi at around 8.30pm on New Years Eve, instead of around 6.00pm! I didn't get to see much of Matarangi on the first night with everyone celebrating the end of yet another year... I'm sure they are getting faster and faster! I had the chance to explore Matarangi the next day - after having a refreshing swim at the beautiful beach that Matarangi has to offer, I discover that Matarangi is a very small town - with the "Town Centre" consisting of a couple of convenience stores, cafe/restaurant, liquor shop, real estate shop and that was about it really. At the harbour of Matarangi, fishing enthusiasts are able to let there boat out here and try their luck at fishing, enjoy watersports and much more!

I was lucky enough to have arrived in Matarangi when the weather was lovely and hot with not a cloud in the sky (most of the time anyway). I had to retire to the cool waters at the Matarangi beach several times a day! The beach here was fantastic, with little or no rips to look out for I got to enjoy myself with out the paranoia of being sucked out to sea!

The place we stayed at during our stay in Matarangi was two-bedroom house that was beachfront (there was a reserve in between the house and the beach where we stayed - but this proved to very convenient to play some cricket on. This was a fantastic find that was made using a VERY handy website : www.bookabach.co.nz ; this is a great way of finding those hidden gems and as these places are privately owned, it allows you to stay in a more "homely" atmosphere during your travels.

I have used this site quite a few times and I would highly recommend this as a tool for anyone and everyone looking for a place to stay in New Zealand.

Really i only got to stay in Matarangi for 2 days (wish I could have stayed longer... maybe next year?). But I enjoyed every minute that I was in Matarangi for. The beach is the main highlight of coming to Matarangi and with the quiet and laid-back atmosphere, you won't be able to lost very often in the small town. As there is only one main street in Matarangi (Kowhai Street) which is very easy to follow.

I would recommend Matarangi to those who are after some rest and relaxation. However, if you look on "Book A Bach" you will see that it is not exactly cheap to stay here! That is why my friends and I all pitched in (all 8 of us) to reduce the costs. We rented the two-bedroom house out for 4 nights, which came to around $1000.00 total.

Have a good look around on this website if you are interested in finding a place of your own for a few nights. It is well worth a look!

Good luck to everyone for the New Year!

I will be adding photos to this entry as soon as I can!

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