Kuaotunu Bay Lodge

Set above Kuaotunu Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula, Kuaotunu Bay Lodge looks down over sand and water from a low ridge on Kuaotunu Wharekaho Road. The lodge holds three rooms and one separate studio. Two rooms take a super king bed with ensuite; the third offers a Californian king or two singles, with a private bathroom. Each has its own deck and outdoor seating, and each faces the water. The studio sits apart, with its own entrance, deck, and queen bed, and runs self-catering, while the main lodge rooms include breakfast. From the deck you can watch the sun go down over the bay before the beach turns quiet for the evening. A garden path leads down to the sand, and a walking track runs on to Kuaotunu Village in about 25 minutes, past farmland and native forest to Lukes Kitchen, where the village gathers for pizza, local beer, and music. Kuaotunu itself runs some 10 km along State Highway 25, split between beach on one side and farms and forest on the other, with a year-round community rather than a seasonal one. Whitianga lies 18 km off, Auckland International about three hours by road. It is a small stay, built around the view and the walk to the water.