Camping at Matata

Follow Age Hacker Cherry as she introduces us to her surroundings and documents it all via a blog and vlog (video blog) using her smartphone. Learn about nature, technology and more!

The seaside township of Matata lies 28k from Kawerau, is 24k east of Whakatane and has a population of around 666.

A drive along the Matata Straights, provides stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, White Island (Whakaaari) and Whale Island (Moutohora) which is a wildlife sanctuary. There are also beach-access sites along the Matata Straights found at the Pikowai Reserve Camping Ground and Murphy’s Holiday Park.

There is much to love about Matata which is why we often take time out to stay in our motorhome at the DOC Camping Ground. We camp beside the sand dunes which has easy access to the beach.

Surfcasting and kontiki fishing off the beach are one of our favourite things to do. The kontiki can get caught on a log or rock 1 km out to sea but a paddle out in a kayak is usually all it takes to rescue it (and any fish) If help is needed we know we can always rely on willing locals and campers who are ready to lend a hand.

We often see surfers riding the waves.  Kayakers loaded up with fishing gear brave the surf often coming back with their quota of fish.

Main varieties of fish that we see caught, are snapper, gurnard and kahawai the odd kingi, monkfish and once we caught what we thought was a weird-looking stingray. While prodding around the head of said fish my husband got ‘a bolt from the blue’ in the form of an electric shock! After taking a photo and ‘googling’ it, we discovered it was an electric ray. Lesson learned. Don’t go poking strange fish!

Matata is also well-endowed with beautiful walks. The Matata Lagoon has been beautifully restored since the devastating floods in 2005, which destroyed 60 homes and caused structural damage to another 40 homes.

There are plenty of walking tracks and one which we enjoy, is around the lagoon that stretches for about 5 km along the coast. There is a bird watchers’ shelter along the track where the birdlife in the lagoon can be observed.

An organic coffee at the Drift café, or a feed of fish and chips from the famous ‘Aunty’s’ Cafe are indulged in on a regular basis.

Although we have all mod cons in our motorhome playing cards is something we enjoy doing in the evening instead watching TV.

At the end of the day after the walking, fishing, eating, socialising, a beer or wine or two, game of cards and a shower we are ready for sleep.

Falling asleep with the sound of the sea close by is heaven.

Music; ‘Three Star Sky’ by
Artofescapism
From the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC

By Age Hacker, Cherry