The Herald on Sunday is campaigning to get New Zealanders out on the beaches this summer, keeping them clean.

The Herald on Sunday will be out with rubbish bags and they want you and your family to join them!

Register your support at www.facebook.com/sustainablecoastlines or nzherald.co.nz

Plus, take a photo of your family or friends cleaning up your favourite beach and go in the draw to win fantastic prizes – see nzherald.co.nz for more info.

Tutukaka Marina – Sunday 5th February 2012.

Gates open 5.00pm, first act on stage 6.00pm and concert concludes at 10.00pm

WHERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS

Tickets will be available via the Winery Tour website and Ticketmaster.

Ticket Price

Tickets $69 plus booking fee. (Bus/ticket packages also available)

One child 12 years and under will be given free admittance when accompanied by a parent or guardian who has purchased a ticket. Note: there will be a bus ticket charge for children).

Bus INFORMATION

Go on, enjoy yourself, relax and get someone else to do the driving, get a bus! Show/Bus package: $99/person. Bus only: $30/person. The Bus will leave from Info Centre, Main Road  4.20pm/pick up Whangarei Basin Bus Parks   4.35pm/pickup Titipunga College 4.40pm. The bus will leave promptly after the concert from the main entrance @ 10.15pm & will drop you off at the locations you were collected from. Bus Company: Bayes Coachlines. Please be at all bus stops 10 minutes prior to departure.

Important event information…

Outdoor Concert
This is an outdoor concert. Please check the weather forecast before you leave home, and come prepared. This is New Zealand! We will play rain or shine, unless there are exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the promoter.

Cannot Bring into venue
Glass bottles of any kind, alcohol of any kind, professional cameras or recording devices.

Car Parking
Parking on roadside leading to venue.

Disabled Parking
Available on site for vehicles displaying disabled sign.

Seating
There is no reserved seating. You may bring your own chairs, or a blanket to sit on. Low or sand chairs are a good option. Generally you will be seated on grassed areas, blankets and low chairs one side and foldable concert chairs on the other.

Sun Smart
Please bring sun protection with you.

Food
You can bring your own food and sealed bottled water but no glass please. There will be food stalls on site with a variety of selections including vegetarian option.

Beverage
The event is fully Licensed. wine, beer and soft drink and water available. Absolutely no BYO alcohol.

Security
There will be professional show security on site and possible bag checks at the entry gates.

Eftpos
Cash out available on site. Eftpos available for ticket purchases.

Merchandising
Artist and Show Merchandising available at all concerts.

Chair hire
Foldable Chairs available for hire at the venue.

The environment
Civic Events Limited is committed to creating an environmentally sustainable Winery Tour and is working towards being a “zero waste” event. Rather than just accepting that waste is inevitable, we want to work towards eliminating it. By doing this, we can reduce the impact the tour has on the environment, provide clean and positive surroundings for patrons and help increase environmental awareness.

The Winery Tour supports recycling initiatives at all events and encourages patrons to use public transport to get to and from the venue by providing an excellent bus service for all shows not located in the CBD. Bus passes can be purchased alongside tickets to the event or separately, they are great value and traveling by bus allows you to relax, have a few wines and let someone else worry about the driving. Most of all, it’s good for the environment.

Accommodation for the Event

There is an extensive range of accommodation at and near the Tutukaka Marina. Some may be offering free transport to the event or can arrange transport for you. For more information on accommodation click here.

Be inspired.

Enjoy the beaches and activities of the Tutukaka Coast by day then just sit back and unwind in the tranquillity of Lupton Lodge.

Stylish rooms designed with privacy and comfort in mind. Each room has contemporary uncomplicated décor, ensuite bathroom, comfortable queen or king-size beds, flat-screen TVs, DVD, heat-pumps/air-con, bathrobes and tea/coffee facilities. The rooms are intimate yet spacious with rich wall colours, high ceilings, sash windows and Kauri floors.

Guest Facilities

Lupton Lodge offers a relaxed atmosphere and extensive guest facilities. Spacious mature dry-stone walled gardens, swimming pool, restaurant-style meals, free Wifi and a large lounge with snooker table, PC and DVD collection.

Gourmet breakfast is included. Our dinner menu changes daily, served at individual tables in the guest-only dining room. Or try one of the numerous quality local restaurants.

Rooms

• 3 luxurious King & Queen size beds with 100% cotton sheets and duvets
• Intimate yet spacious rooms with rich wall colours, high ceilings, sash windows and polished Kauri floors
• Tasteful, uncomplicated furnishings
• Each room has it’s own unique style & character
• 32″ flat screen TV, Satelite Freeview & DVD player, i-pod docking station and alarm clock in every room
• Luxurious bathrobes
• Plunger coffee & tea making faciliites
• Modern ensuites with powerful showers
• Heat pump/air-conditioning units with individual room controls
• Complimentary gourmet á la carte breakfast
• Spacious Suite with a private lounge is available as a triple room, twin room or suite

Tariffs: $135-$250 (2 persons) depending on season and room

No minimum stay.

Conveniently located 10 mins drive from central Whangarei enroute to the coast. 5 minutes from Whangarei Falls, 1 hour to the Bay of Islands and 2 hours north of Auckland – ideal for exploring Northland and as your first/last stop in NZ.

Visit our website to book via our instant online booking facility.

#2 – Matapouri Bay

#3 – Tutukaka/Poor Knights

#4 – Dive! Tutukaka

These results are based on an online survey undertaken on aatravel.co.nz during 2011 and calculated in September 2011.

Placed on the shoreline of the picturesque Tutukaka Harbour, the restaurant is a unique Fale-style building with ample dining seating and a spacious bar.

Established in 1992, Schnappa Rock is now one of the icons of the community, a place where locals mix and mingle with international tourists and Kiwi holidaymakers, who flock to the area to experience the world-renowned Poor Knights diving waters and classic New Zealand beaches.

Tutukaka Marina

Situated in the heart of Tutukaka Marina with a unique covered deck over the water and outside tables in the sun overlooking Tutukaka Marina and Harbour. A family run restaurant emphasising fresh, homemade, locally sourced, quality food.

Tim, Ayshea, Nathan and all the staff offer that welcome feeling that only a family owned and run business can offer. How many places do you know that the boss bakes real bread, makes fresh pizza bases, cooks your food to order and at the end of the night mops the floor?

Join us for a cup of coffee and a cake on our deck over the water or sit in the sun on our outside tables enjoying a glass of wine, beer or B.Y.O and our great pizzas and meals.

The lodge is halfway between Whangarei and Tutukaka and close enough to attract both weekday business folk and weekend divers and surfers. It has three guest rooms. Karen shows me to the Red Room at the front of the house, a large suite with polished kauri floors and deep-red walls. A large flat-screen TV and DVD player sit on a leather-topped desk. The king-size bed looks inviting, as does the leather couch. There’s a dressing room and an ensuite bathroom. A heat pump is doing a good job. Perfect.

Elsewhere in the house is a large kitchen where Andy makes breakfasts and pre-arranged dinners, a cosy sitting room and a breakfast room. A few steps away is a separate games room with a well-patronised pool table. There’s a pretty garden and a 10-metre swimming pool.

…we drive out to the coast – Ngunguru, Tutukaka, Matapouri and finally Sandy Bay. From here you can loop back to Whangarei via Hikurangi, but we linger on the beach and then drive back down Woolleys Bay and stroll out to rocky Whale Bay, a good fishing spot, Murray tells me.

On the way back to Tutukaka, we stop at Tawapou, a native plant nursery and gardens run by Guy and Sandra Bowden. It’s a fabulous place to shop for natives, and fun, too, because Guy is also an imaginative artist and his beautifully worked creations – eels, fish and the occasional person – peer out from among plants and bush. We reach Tutukaka at lunchtime and make for the marina and Schnappa Rock, an iconic restaurant and bar run by Nick Keane and Esther Eves, who took it over five years ago and have added a Pacific tone to both décor and menu. We hoe into plump green-lipped mussels in a chilli and lemongrass liquor and pan-fried snapper.

On the way back to town we drop in to Glenbervie Pottery Gallery, where sculptor Jin Ling and ceramic artist Greg Baron live and work in an earth-built house, studio and gallery. Jin Ling’s serene figures dot the grounds, while Greg’s finely wrought stone and porcelain pots fill the gallery.

No visit to Whangarei would be complete without seeing the photogenic Whangarei Falls, which tumble 26m into a swimming hole about 5km north-east of town. There’s a walkway that takes you all the way to the Town Basin, which is where we’re headed, though not on foot.

Read Full Article

Source: The Best Weekends & Short Breaks Magazine – Sept 2010

A few suggested Tutukaka Coast kayaking routes include:

Ngunguru River – suitable for all levels, families and novices. Mangrove Forest, birdlife, tidal channels and sandspit. Launch at either Ngunguru or Scows landing, depending on the tide. More info…

Ngunguru Bay – suitable for all levels, families and novices. Kayaking around the bay, sandspit and Goat Island (great for a picnic, snorkelling and fishing). Launch at Whangaumu Bay. More info…

Tutukaka Harbour and nearby bays – suitable for all levels. The Harbour is safe in windy or rough seas. Harbour, sandy and rocky bays, fishing and snorkelling. Launch from Tutukaka Marina or Kowharewarewa Bay. More info…

Tutukaka to Whangaumu Bay – suitable for more experienced paddlers when there is a swell running. Rocky reefs, blow hole, fishing and snorkeling in the more sheltered areas. Launch from either Kowharewarewa Bay or Whangaumu Bay, depending wind direction. More info…

Tutukaka to Matapouri – a reasonable fitness level is required. No other means of public access to many areas. Good snorkelling and fishing, channels, ledges and secluded rocky bays with gables, sandy Bays to the north. Launch from either Kowharewarewa Bay or Matapouri. More Info…

2-3 Day Beach Camping trips towards Whananaki/Mimiwhangata – suitable for fitter and more experienced paddlers only. Guided Tours Recommended. Locations and launch points vary depending on the weather. See our safety section before considering this journey. More Info…

Before commencing your journey always consult the latest weather, tide and safety information. Never kayak alone and always advise others where you are going. Guided tours, lessons and freedom kayak and equipment hire are available on the Tutukaka Coast. Seek the advice of an experienced local if you have any doubts whatsoever.  More Useful Safety Information…

Warning: Cellphone coverage is still erratic on the Tutukaka Coast and can be non existent as you move north of Tutukaka Harbour.

Information supplied by Pacific Coast Kayaks.

• Before commencing your journey always consult the latest weather, tide and safety information.
• Never kayak alone and always advise others where you are going.
• Guided tours and kayak lessons and equipment hire are available on the Tutukaka Coast if you are not sufficiently prepared for your trip.
• Seek the advice of an experienced local if you have any doubts whatsoever.
• Warning: Cellphone coverage is still erratic on the Tutukaka Coast and can be non existent as you move north of Tutukaka Harbour.
• The Tutukaka Coast is a delight when weather is favourable ie light winds and low swell and good visibility but conditions change rapidly and can make paddling difficult or unsafe.
• Unless paddlers are experienced paddlers should not set out in strong wind conditions and should as a general rule paddle into the wind and against any current at the start of their journey to avoid fatigue on their return if doing a round trip.
• When doing a one way trip try to paddle with the wind and current.
• When entering or exiting through the Ngunguru River groups will need to consider the tide, which can be difficult to paddle against. If using this route avoid the swells on the bar and watch out for other craft in the narrow entrance. It may be better to use Whangaumu Bay. There is easy beach access for launching and retrieving boats.
• Swells can enter the caves near Tutukaka Harbour’s South Gable and below Pacific Rendezvous. Approach with caution and in reverse.
• Trips outside the Tutukaka Harbour and Ngunguru Bay/River are best done with a guide who will be able to advise you of conditions and show you the best areas to explore. Due to the number of reefs in this area there may be surges and unbroken swells to be aware of. Additional safety equipment should be carried in case of emergency (VHF radio and EPIRB) . Paddlers will need to have the ability to perform rescues in case of capsize and should have reasonable fitness level and water confidence.
• As in all trips safety is in numbers. Minimum group size should be 2-4 paddlers. Local operators will not hire boats to solo paddlers.
• A detailed and up to date local forecast is essential before setting out. VHF Channel 85 has a local forecast at 0830, 1230, 1630 and 2030 daily. The Met service and various sites such as www.marineweather.co.nz and www.bouyweather.com can assist in making good decisions as to where to paddle. Wind and swell conditions are very important. Poor visibility due to rain can be hazardous. A compass or GPS should be carried.
  Information can also be obtained from the local coastguard by phoning 09 434 4286 or 0508 RESCUE. For emergencies phone *500 from a mobile or 09 303 1303.
  The two most convenient sources of marine forecasts on the water are VHF radio and telephone.
  VHF radio: VHF Channel 85 is the local channel for the Tutukaka Coast and has a local forecast at 0830, 1230, 1630 and 2030 daily. On Channel 16 a forecast will be announced which will be given on Channel 67 at 0533, 0733, 1033, 1333, 1733, 2133 hours or on Channel 21 continuously.
  Met phone: 0900 999 + map number 60 for Brett (and 61 Colville if going south of Bream Head)
• For more safety information you can refer to Maritime NZ publication “Safe Boating” an essential guide which covers general boating safety (available from your coastguard by advance request). Safe Kayaking information is also available by calling 0800 40 80 90.