Bayview Valley Lodge

Guests arrive via Tarapatiki Drive and descend to a lodge set above Wharekaho Valley, where Captain Cook is said to have first stepped ashore in New Zealand. It is a two-suite bed and breakfast, no more. The Tui Suite occupies its own floor, with a king bedroom and separate living room, both looking over the valley to the Pacific. The Kupe Suite sits at ground level with a private courtyard, an en-suite bathroom finished in marble and polished black stone, and its own terrace with lounge seats and a sun canopy. Both come with Apple TV, Netflix and free Wi-Fi, along with tea and coffee facilities and a fridge. Outside, a hot pool holds up to six, with loungers and paired seats for watching the sun go down over the valley. Whitianga sits under 10 minutes away, with its airport about the same distance; 17 beaches lie within 5 to 40 minutes' drive. The lodge runs private guided tours of the Coromandel Peninsula, taking in Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach and Mercury Bay Winery, and can arrange sailing trips on the schooner Windborne, built in 1928. Breakfast is cooked each morning and includes home-baked bread and fresh fruit. Check-in runs from 2pm.