Matakana Magic
Life on the farm is slow and simple. When Jason first showed me pictures of Matakana Village I knew I was going to love the idea of staying in a cottage on a farm and the village looked so charming in the pictures. I was only worried about not wanting to leave. And that is the biggest challenge for me. I need to continue to stay present and enjoy each day for the beauty and opportunity it is and not let my thoughts run away.
It is a challenging bike ride to the village and to the beach. The gravel road got the best of Birdie after a couple wipe outs. We found a tandem bike and Jack became her chariot.
Our Cottage:
Hurstmere Cottage
It is rustic. It is cozy. It is a ways back on a long gravel road. It is an old barn converted into a cottage. The kids thought it was really cool to sleep in what useto to be a hayloft.
I’ve enjoyed my morning tea at the patio table looking through the trees down the green valley. The rolling hills feed my soul. Maybe it’s my Irish farm roots but I do feel most home here among the rolling hills of the farm.
And it comes with a friendly dog, Florence, which is just what we all needed! She reminds us so much of our dog Shasta. We enjoyed the sunset walks through the farm to feed the horses a bedtime treat.
Favorite Activities:
Kite Board lessons with Blue Adventures was a highlight for the boys. They are excited to learn a new skill combining two things they love to do - sail and wakeboard.
This is the practice kite that they had a ton of fun flying learning all about the safety rules and technique.
They did graduate to the big kite and learned how to fly and body drag through the water. Austin launched in the air a few times but unfortunately I wasn’t able to catch that on film. Hopefully they will have another lesson here and get to fly on the kite board. Lisa from Blue Adventures was awesome! She has instilled a love for a new sport in our boys!
Omaha Beach is a very popular beach destination for Kiwis to escape the city, just 65 km north of Auckland. We love the green rolling hills that frame the beach making the contrast of colors so vibrant. Austin and Birdie had fun mastering their flips on the beach with Jack’s assistance and Sierra’s photography.
Goat Island is a snorkeling destination. It is a fun outing though the water was cool and it isn’t like a coral reef snorkeling experience it was still a fun activity we enjoyed. We were surprised by the noisy sheep and goats all over the island!
Tawharanui Regional Park is breathtaking!!!! It is a nail bitter drive back to it and so worth every slow turn. It is full of awesome hiking trails, caves and a beautiful beach.
Favorite Spots:
Farmer’s Daughter is a very healthy charming country cafe on an isthmus leading to Omaha beach that we enjoyed.
Matakana Farmer’s Market is so vibrant! It is buzzing with activity, bursting with flavor and serenaded with sound. A must do during a visit to Matakana - so fun!!!
Matakana Cinema is a great movie experience. Why not jump for ice cream at the movies? There is no popcorn machine but there is pre-scooped ice cream!
Especially when the theater is so beautiful.
OBV Vineyard is a small sustainable family run vineyard that is supported completely by the local community. They sell 80% of their wine from their tasting room. We would highly recommend a stop here. We enjoyed an impromptu tasting with the owner, she was gracious, and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed sitting in the patio taking in the beautiful view. We missed our wine club friends!
Tea & Tonic is a cute shop that specializes in harmonious health providing health and beauty products. It also hosts yoga classes. I went to one of the classes. The instructor spent 10 years of her life in CO making the world feel small for me. Her use of music with the class made the class flow beautifully. I enjoy finding these opportunities to experience life as a local.
Oob Organic was our favorite spot for blueberries and ice cream along the bike trail. We get a kick out of how popular bean bag chairs are in NZ!
Yes I would come back here in a heart beat. I love the farm setting that is a bike ride to the beach and charming Matakana Village - my bliss.
Part of the magic of this beautiful spot are not only the magestic sunsets and the many opportunities to pause in awe at the beauty on the farm, but the opportunity to pause in self reflection of who we want to be. There was some bickering amongst the kids which provided opportunities to talk about how we react to life and each other. Are we able to hit pause before we react? Are we able to control our mind and body, what we say or do or do we live in reaction? It’s a lot to think about but if we can live with intention instead of reaction I believe we can live with purpose and peace.
Grateful for Flo and all the Matakana Magic. We are off to Waiheke Island for a Kiwi Christmas!