BAY OF PLENTY: KATIKATI

We arrived at the Waihi Beach Top 10 late in the afternoon because we needed a powered site to top up our complaining house batteries. We were looking for a basic holiday park close to the beach where we could just chill out for the night and I could catch up on some of my reporting, having visited 5 other locations during the day.

Our initial impression was that it was quite expensive - even with an NZMCA discount it was $44 per night for the two of us, even in off-peak season. However, on walking around after getting settled in, we realized that it was a large park with a lot of extras that would make if a really nice place for two or three families to stay, including a heated swimming pool and spa. The TV room was very comfortable and set up as a 'parents only' room, and there was also an extensive library.  Of course there were the usual facilities for kitchen, showers, toilets and laundry.

We were fortunate to get the powered site closest to the beach. This was across the road and in the more 'down-market' area of the resort. The sites were quite small, and turning a large motorhome would have been a challenge if the camp site had been full. The shower and toilets were unisex, but all the facilities were clean and well organised.

After getting settled in, we went for a walk around the beach. As you'll see in the slideshow, this was a large surf beach, although the waves were quite gentle while we were there. There was a large building for the local lifeguards next to our campsite.

Like most of the other beaches we visited on this trip, there was a lot of vegetation scattered around following the heavy rain a couple of days earlier.

One of the locals living in a house next to the camp told us that a reservoir further up the hill had burst its banks, flooding much of the town, including the area of the campsite where we were now parked.

Fortunately, the weather was now looking decidedly more settled, and we made some dinner and I got on with updating the new pages for RV Explorer.

The next morning we got up to watch the sun rise over the harbour - not spectacular, but still very pleasant. Or course that depends on the cloud formations at the time, so every one is different.

Curiously, while we had good mobile phone coverage for Vodafone the night before, there was no coverage at all in the morning. The lady at the camp reception said that this was not unusual and that we would have to walk up the hill to make a phone call.

We were due back in Auckland that afternoon, so we packed up and got underway.

The other powered sites and cottages available on the 'beach side' of this resort

Overall, this resort would be an excellent place for a family to come for a summer holiday. Plenty for everyone to do, especially if you are coming with other friends. It was a bit busy for us.