Pakiri Beach Holiday Park

The seaside is out in full force in this area, as you’ll soon see from the white sands of Omaha Beach (35 minutes’ drive), the surf-friendly remote cove at Te Arai Point (45 minutes) or the cool coastal walks and coves at Pākiri Regional Park (15 minutes). For places with a little more buzz from the human side of life, Leigh (20 minutes) is one such spot with a fishing pier, slightly busier beaches and restaurants (seafood will be on the menu here, that’s for sure). Meanwhile, the vineyard and art gallery take the limelight over at Sculptureum (half an hour). Back to wildlife if that’s what gets you really wistful: Ti Point Reptile Park (20 minutes) will let you spy on reptile life and Te Ārai Regional Park (45 minutes) has biodiverse dunes and beaches. More water-based, Goat Island (20 minutes) has a marine reserve where snorkelling and diving are popular pastimes, as you might expect. It’s a similar story at Tāwharanui Regional Park (45 minutes), where there’s another marine reserve fit for snorkelling and diving or an ecology trail on dry land.