My name is Behaviour. Ms Behaviour
I have recently been experiencing levels of unaccustomed luxury, but simply couldn't turn down the chance to drive in an Aston Martin and stay in a 5 star lodge at Pakiri Beach. My friend Jack Yan was in Auckland for a couple of days and had the use of a brand new Aston Martin Vantage. Jack is normally based in Wellington in between bursts of jet-setting, as publisher of
Lucire (pronounced 'Lu-cheer-Ay'), a global fashion magazine. It sounds like Italian for something highly decadent, but is a word that Jack completely made up.
We met at the Hardware Cafe in Titirangi Village, a hip hangout for musos, artists and media types. It's also a stones throw away from the twists and turns of Scenic Drive, which is great fun in a sportscar. If you have a spare hour you can cruise all the way to Piha Beach, but as we were an a tight schedule we turned back just after the
Arataki Visitor's Centre. Arataki is a great place to stop for amazing views, and if you have time you can also take a breathtaking bushwalk. It's easy to see why the Maori named the area Titirangi, which means the 'Fringes of Heaven'.
On the way up Scenic Drive I rode shotgun in the Aston Martin, with Chelfyn following behind in our little MX5. I got to press the big button to start the engine, and pretend to be a Bond girl to the soundtrack of John Barrie. On our return to town I followed the boys back extremely nervously. To prang a car worth as much as a house would be very embarrassing. Luckily we made it back to Ponsonby unscathed, and Jack went off to cruise the harbour with a Count.
Next up was a roadtrip up north for a midweek beach break, and a stay in the new five star luxury lodge at
Pakiri Beach Holiday Park. Despite severe weather warnings for everyone south of Auckland, as soon as we left Orewa the sun joined us. Pakiri seems to have it's own micro-climate, and is often bathed in sunshine while Auckland is bathed in torrential rain.
We stopped off at quaint Warkworth for supplies, and a fish & chip supper in Leigh before heading to Snapper Lodge for an enjoyable evening. Catching up with friends over a couple of bottles of the award winning Feijoa wine from
Lothlorien.
Snapper Lodge has been built on early settler architecture, and is beautifully furnished inside with uninterupted view of the Pakiri surf. It was a gloriously warm night, so we sat out on the deck watching flashes of bioluminescence lighting up the surf.
We woke to glorious sunshine after a blissful night's sleep, cooking a big breakfast of bacon & eggs to enjoy on the deck, before a leisurely walk along a perfect golden surf beach which we shared with a few seabirds.
If you can wrench yourself away from the comforts of Snapper Lodge and the beautiful beach, there's
plenty to keep you busy. It's a great time of year to visit the nearby Goat Island Marine reserve with it's abundant marine life.
Goat Island is swarming with visitors on a summer weekend, but off season and especially midweek it's practically deserted. Thirty years as a protected marine reserve has created a vibrant eco-system rated as one of the best dive sites in the world. It's a magnet for divers and snorkellers, but if you prefer to stay dry then why not take a ride in the
glass bottomed boat.
Whenever I visit Pakiri it never ceases to amaze me, that such a gorgeous place is only hour and a half's drive north of Auckland city. Add to that a little bit of luxury and you have the perfect place for an off season mini-break.
For more information on Snapper Lodge and Pakiri Beach Holiday Park visit:
http://www.pakiriholidaypark.co.nz/To check sailing times for the Glass Bottom boat at Goat Island Marine Reserve:
http://www.glassbottomboat.co.nz/
