ONEPU MOANA (“Sandy Sea”) Holiday Home.

Onepu Moana is the flagship vacation home in Opononi, the main village of the southern Hokianga Harbour – and the birthplace of Aotearoa NZ! Right next to this clifftop coastal property is where Polynesian explorer Kupe landed and built the first Maori Pa village … this location is the ‘mecca’ heart of Maori heritage.

Earning a prestigious “4-Star Silver” Qualmark grading, the 2-story Onepu Moana has on both floors: three bedrooms, a bathroom, laundry facilities, and an open-plan kitchen-dining-lounge, so it is a great set-up for multi-generational extended families, and groups of Singles/Couples.

Upstairs features a romantic 4-poster Queen bedroom, a 2nd Queen Bedroom, a “Triple” bedroom (double-single bunk-bed); Bathroom with shower; Laundry with Toilet; fabulous Entertainer’s Kitchen; Lounge-Dining with Hampton’s style coastal décor; and large deck to enjoy the expansive views of the stunning Hokianga Harbour.

Downstairs features a Queen master bedroom [no window]; Double bedroom; 6-berth Kids Bunk Room; Bathroom with shower over a bath; separate Toilet; roomy open-plan 2nd Kitchen-Dining-Lounge; Lounge sofa-bed (small double); and access to the Spa-Pool on the lower terrace.

Onepu Moana is located just a mile from the chilled-out laid-back village of Opononi, with its iconic “Opo Pub” (Opononi Tavern) that is a ‘must’ to chillax enjoying a cold beer on the deck; a local well-stocked 4Square Superette; the lovely wee Landing Café for brunch; a local iSite Tourism Information office; and the multi-million dollar tourist attraction “Manea” which recounts the footsteps of Kupe over a must-do 90-min multi-sensory experience. Opononi Wharf is a great place to chat with friendly locals hand-line fishing, let the kids jump off the pier into the ocean, maybe see an Orca, and hop on the Hokianga Express water-taxi for the 5-min ride across the harbour to go surfing down the sand-dunes (fare includes boogie-boards). Five minutes away is the beach-town of Omāpere, a great place to sip a cold Kerikeri chardonnay on the deck of the century-old Sands Hotel.
Other nearby places to enjoy include one of NZ’s oldest European settlements Rawene Village (great Eggs Bene at their BoatShed Café); Tane Māhuta (God of Waipoua Forest) on the Kauri Coast (a BIG highlight is doing the life-transformative twilight tour with local Maori guide); the extraordinary Waiwere Boulders; plus many lovely walking trails. Onepu Moana is also a suitable base to do the full long-day coach-tour from Kerikeri to Cape Reina (northernmost point of NZ) including driving along Ninety Mile Beach.
One particularly outstanding day, is to depart the west-coast Onepu Moana early in the morning, to drive 70-mins to the Bay of Islands on the east-coast, and watch the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean. Then enjoy breakfast in Paihia at an overwater cafe, then spend the morning exploring the beautiful Waitangi Treaty Grounds (birthplace of colonized New Zealand), then over to Russell to enjoy lunch on the deck at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, then heading back to Opo via healing NgaWha Springs thermal pools, and return to your deck at Onepu Moana in time to watch the sun set over the Tasman Sea. A sunrise and sunset in one day, on two different oceans. Magical!

If you want to experience the real Kiwiana holiday, in an area steeped in Maori history, it does not get more authentic than vacationing in the “Hoki” ...in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland). [Northland is the region in NZ that is north of Auckland.]

GUEST WITH MOBILITY ISSUES
For anyone finding stairs difficult, rather than walking up the staircase to the front-door, they can walk on a sloped path around the home to the back-door, where there are just a couple of steps to be in the main upstairs apartment.