Our Favourite Local Activities

Aside from the obvious of walking, swimming, surfing or fishing at Waihi Beach there are many other local attractions. Waihi Beach Village itself has many great little shops and cafes or you might like to grab a massage or yoga class at one of the many local studios and day spas. You could soak in the hot pools in Athenree or walk through stunning native bush around the reservoir or up to the trig at the north end of the beach. A walk over to Orakawa Bay from the North end of the beach is another local favourite. You can hire bikes in Waihi Village at the Secret Garden or in Waihi town itself to take advantage of the many local biking trails, not to mention the bike pump track at Bowentown or the more challenging mountain bike trails in the bush near the trig track. It's also nice to walk/bike up the estuary from Bowentown and finish for brunch or lunch at the Surf Shack cafe. Waihi town is famous for its gold mine, it’s a very interesting walk around it and worth checking out the award winning info centre about the mine in Waihi town. There's also a local train ride in the Karangahake Gorge, a nice way to see the area for those with little ones or mobility issues. Hiring bikes and biking the gorge trail through the old rail trail and in the tunnel finishing with a swim at the falls and lunching at the Falls Retreat is a great day out. A trip to Paeroa (30 min drive) is a nice little outing also, they have lots of antique stores and some nice cafes (The Refinery and Courtyard cafe & deli are the best).

Shopping

The local shops are at Wilson Road, 5 minutes’ drive away. The butcher has excellent cuts of meat and the 4 square is good for most things. There is a Pharmacy, a Health shop, various fashion shops and art and gift shops. Some of the shops offer local art and crafts. It is well worth having a look around. Waihi town is approximately 15 minutes away and has a New World supermarket which is less expensive and has greater choice for food shopping than the Four Square in the Village. Katikati is about 20 minutes away and has a large Countdown supermarket which has greater range and is also good value. Tauranga is 1 hour away and is a bigger town with a large selection of shops and activities.

Places to Eat Out

Places to eat out Flat White Café is a favourite open 7 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this is beachfront and consistently good food and service. Surf Shack Cafe (halfway down beach near Athenree turnoff) has great food but only open for breakfast and lunch and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Nearby to the Surf Shack is a walkway along the estuary which makes a lovely walk or bike ride and is sheltered if the beach is windy. The Waihi Beach pub and restaurant serves great pizzas and has an Italian a la carte menu. The Falls Retreat Bistro, is a recommended restaurant, book ahead, this is in the Karangahake Gorge approx. 20 minutes’ drive. Beautiful waterfall across the road from here that you can swim at also, the trails along the gorge are amazing for biking and walking.