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Warkworth Region

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2009 Warkworth Rodeo

Parks and Reserves | Things to do | Cafes | Shopping

Cafes

Honey Centre and Cafe
Perry Road, South of Warkworth.
Ph: 09 425 8003
A wonderful cafe with a working hive which is able to be viewed through a glass window.

Leigh Saw Mill Cafe
Pakiri Road, Leigh.
Ph: 09 422 6019
Web: www.sawmillcafe.co.nz
This is a wonderful licenced cafe that provides a great environment for both the children and their parents.

Above photo: Hire snorkelling gear at
Seafriends and visit the wonderful Goat Island
Marine Reserve at Leigh.

Cruise in Cafe
Sandspit Wharf, Sandspit.(At the end of road, overlooking Sandspit inlet)
Ph: 09 425 9475
Sandspit is just over five minutes from the Warkworth turn off and the Cruise in Cafe is situated at the end of the road on the Sandspit Wharf. Gaze over the inlet while you enjoy a meal, or come for dinner and watch the magic of the water at night.

Ascension Vineyard and Cafe
480 Matakana Road, Matakana.
Ph: 09 422 9601
Email: ascension@xtra.co.nz
Web: www.ascensionvineyard.co.nz
Hours: Weekends 9 am to 5 pm Weekdays 10 am to 4 pm (winter) 11am to 5 pm (summer)
With grapevines as a back drop, a sandpit for the kids and delicious food and their own wine you may not want to leave. An excellent venue to go with children - but also without.

Salty Dog Inn
242 Mahurangi East Road, Snells Beach.
Ph: 09 425 5588
Email: saltydoginn@xtra.co.nz
Web: www.saltydoginn.com
The Salty Dog Inn has accommodation and a restaurant, both having an old English feel. There is great outdoor eating with a grassed area for children to run around on.

The Parsley Pot
786 Sandspit Road, Warkworth. (about 5 minutes drive down Sandspit Road from Warkworth)
Ph: 09 425 8486
A warm and welcoming cafe with good indoor and outdoor seating available. The Parsley Pot Cafe has a fenced lawn for children to run around on or they can play in the sandpit, while you sit back and enjoy the tasty food available. BYO is now available.

Pohutukawa Cafe
Omaha Flats Road, Omaha.
Ph:09 422 7799
Hours: Fri, Sat and Sunday 9am to late
Mon to Thursday 9am to 3pm
The Pohutukawa Cafe is situated just before the Omaha township. It is a great cafe to visit on a fine day and there is outdoor eating and a lawn for children to play on. However in wet weather the indoor eating area of the cafe is 'smallish' and patrons should keep this in mind.

Rusty Pelican
1001 Matakana Road, Matakana, Warkworth.
Ph: 09 422 9122 or 09 422 9998
Email: rustyp55@hotmail.com
Web: www.realnewzealand.co.nz
Hours: Open 7 days until late.
Monday to Friday 4 to late,
Sat & Sun lunch & dinner
The Rusty Pelican is a family restaurant with a children's creche as a great attraction for the kids. Experience the great food, and non-dining patrons are welcome to enjoy a drink from our bar.

Herons Flight Cafe and Winery
49 Sharp Road, Matakana.
Ph: 09 422 7915
Email: heronfly@wk.planet.gen.nz
Web: www.heronsflight.co.nz
Hours: Open from 10 am daily
One of the pleasures about Herons Flight is that relaxed feeling you get when you arrive. The food is wonderful, the view magical and the wine is great. Children are most welcome here. A great venue for all concerned.

Seafriends Marine Cafe and Education Centre
7 Goat Island Road, Leigh.
Ph: 09 422 6212 Fax: 09 422 6245
Email: sea.friends@xtra.co.nz
web: www.seafriends.org.nz
Find the time to stop for a coffee and cake with the kids here and let the children be amazed by the live fish displays they have. They also hire out snorkelling gear from 5 years of age up, complete with full length wetsuits for a chance to explore the Goat Island Marine Reserve.

Matakana Country Park Cafe
1 Omaha Flats Road, Matakana.
Ph: 09 4227437
Web: www.matakanacountrypark.co.nz
The cafe caters for those who appreciate fresh local produce served with a modern touch in rustic surroundings. Childrens welcome. The park also has a magical playground suitable for a variety of ages.

Read our March 2005 article for the Matakana Country Park - click here


Dragonfly
Cafe and gallery, 615 Matakana Rd, Matakana (1 hour north of Auckland) Ph: 09 4227348
Just out of Warkworth on the way to Omaha Beach is a new cafe and gallery offering coffee gives you a chance to enjoy the peace of a country cafe with the opportunity to wander around their beautiful gallery.


Omaha Rive Lodge
100 Upper Whangateau Road, Matakana.
Email:Unwind@omahariver.co.nz
Web: www.omahariver.co.nz
Nestled high on the banks of the Omaha River is Omaha River Lodge, set in 18 private acres. Enjoy the peace and quiet or take the children out and explore.
Lucy Moore Memorial Park offers a lovely walk beside the river. Access is at the end of Baxter Street.

You and the children can enjoy feeding the ducks at the Warkworth wharf and take a stroll along the boardwalk to the bridge. A new playground for under eights year olds has been built by the river. It is fully fenced with access via the wharf boardwalk or if town, it is located behind the council building.

Take the children for a walk in the Kowhai Park Scenic Reserve its entrance is at the second set of lights in Warkworth, just before the turn off to Snells Beach and Omaha. There are toilets and heaps of parking.

Leigh
Goat Island Marine Reserve is great fun if you enjoy snorkelling. There is amazing underwater wildlife, due to the fact that these waters are protected. A glass bottom boat operates at various times during the year and it allows you to view the fish without getting your feet wet! With a sandy beach and great rock benches for the kids to scramble over, it makes a wonderful day out for all the family.

Matheson Bay Beach over looks Matheson Bay. This has a good children's playground which is just adjacent to the beach. A footbridge was recently rebuilt after a large storm washed it away, this means that you can now access the beach from either Matheson Bay Road or Grand View.

Omaha
There is only one beach here, Ocean Beach. The best place to access the beach from is Broadlands Drive. Continue straight through the round-about until you get to the surf club, as this will provide you with adequate parking, toilets and a great playground. Make your way past the surf club to the dunes and the beach awaits you on the other side. There is not a lot of shade here so it may pay to bring your own.

Sandspit
Sandspit Reserve is situated just before the Sandspit Wharf. The reserve has a good children's playground, suitable for both younger and older children, with toilets. This reserve also has a very short boardwalk through the tidal mangroves which adds a bit of difference from most reserves. You can also catch a ferry at Sandspit's wharf to Kawau Island.

Above picture: Sandspit Wharf. This is where the ferry leave several times a day to take passengers and supplies to Kawau Island. Picture below: Some of the walks can take you and your family on some exciting walks. Remember children need to be supervised at all times.

Snells Beach
Snells Beach is a wonderful children's beach as it has stunning views mixed with a large sandy beach shelf, making the beach almost flat for over 100 metres. With toilets, two playgrounds at either end of the beach, several boat ramps, large grassed areas and heaps of mature trees for shelter from the sun during summer it is my pick for the area. In winter months the sea breeze tends to come off the sea. While welcoming in summer, parents should make sure that children are warmly dressed as it can quickly get cool at times. One of the enjoyable features of the beach is a flat concrete path that runs almost the length of the beach. This path is suitable for prams and children on bikes and trikes, and is popular with parents living locally and visiting.

Amanda Lane Reserve has a small playground and is located only minutes from the beach. It is situated on the corner of Daltons Road and Amanda Lane.

Something that is free and the kids will love is the Donkey Farm. Actually the proper name for it is Hatfield Garden Reserve, however ask any local where the Donkey Farm is and they will tell you to drive along Mahurangi East Road between Snells Beach and Algies Bay. You can visit the donkeys here and then wander to the top of the hill to get magnificent views overlooking Snells Beach and Algies Bay.

Wellsford
Wellsford's Memorial Park has a pleasant
playground with large mature trees and large open grass areas for the children to play on. Access is via Port Albert Road or Rodney Street (which is the main road into Wellsford).
State Highway One, 4 minutes north of Warkworth.
www.sheepworld.co.nz Freephone. 0800 22 74 33 Hours: Open 7 days.
Cafe, fun sheep and farm shows year round. Children can feed the animals. Free playground and picnic area.
Glass Bottom Boat
Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve (Goat Island)
Ph: 09 422 6334 www.glassbottomboat.co.nz
A great way to see the Goat Island Marine Reserve, no bookings required.

Pakiri Beach Horse Rides
Rahuikiri Road, Pakiri, Wellsford.
Ph: 09 422 6275 Email: pakirihorse@xtra.co.nz Web: www.horseride-nz.co.nz
Take the children on a riding experience with Pakiri Beach Horse Rides.

Horse Riding Warkworth
42 Kaipara Flats Road, Warkworth. Email horseriding@xtra.co.nz
Web: www.come.to/horseriding


Matakana Country Park
1 Omaha Flats Road, Matakana.
Ph: 09 4227437 Web: www.matakanacountrypark.co.nz
A place for those who wmay wish to spend time enjoying the variety of animals from miniature ponies to Ilamas or perhaps visiting one of the many attractions, including a cafe and a magical playground suitable for a variety of ages.

Honey Centre
7 Perry Road, off State Highway 1, south of Warkworth
Ph: 09 425 8003 www.honeycentre.co.nz
Cafe and bees on display - behind a glass panel

Puhoi River Canoe Hire
84 Puhoi Road, Puhoi Ph: 09 422 0891 www.puhoirivercanoes.co.nz
Hire canoes and kayaks for paddling the Puhoi River.

Beak Farm Park
State Highway 1, near the Puhoi turnoff
Ph: 09 422 0551 www.beakfarm.co.nz
A working farm where children can meet a variety of animals.

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LIBRARIES

Want to enrich your children's lives with
some reading? Ask about any children's
programme currently running or children
story times.

Warkworth Library
1 Baxter Street, Warkworth.
Ph: 09 425 9803

Mahurangi East Library
Hamatana Road, Snells Beach.
Ph: 09 425 6541
Email: mahulib@rodney.govt.nz
Librarian: Joanne Armstrong

Wellsford Library
120 Rodney Street, Wellsford.
Ph: 09 423 7702
Email: wellslib@rodney.govt.nz
Community Librarian: Jocelyn Koks

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SHOPPING

Garden Centre / Tumbleweed Coastal Plants Limited
Matakana Road, Matakana.
Ph: 09 422 7338
Contact: Wendy Schick Hours: 10 am to 5 pm - 7 days
Here is a garden centre that realises parents come in with children and provides a friendly and helpful service.

Matakana Country Park - Farmers Market
1 Omaha Flats Road, Matakana.
Ph: 09 4227437
Web: www.matakanacountrypark.co.nz
The Country Park Farmers Market trades every Saturday from 8 am to 12:30 pm. Childrens welcome. The park also has a magical playground suitable for a variety of ages.

Read our March 2005 article for the Matakana Country Park - click here

Toys The Wooden Wheel
10 minutes south of Warkworth, State Highway 1. (On your left going to back to Auckland, look for a sign with a yellow wooden train on it).
Ph: 09 425 8101
Web: www.woodentoysonline.co.nz
Hours: 9 am - 5 pm daily (summer time) ** 9 am - 5 pm - Closed Wednesday (Winter time)
You can buy direct from the manufacturer. At The Wooden Wheel you get quality, affordable wooden toys, puzzles, jigsaws and giftware. They specialise in wooden swings, rocking horses, trains, carts and blocks. Mail order available - products can be couriered to you by arrangement.

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CHILDREN'S PARTY IDEAS

The Colour Inn Limited
Comes to your home or arranged venue.
Ph: 09 422 2102
Contact: Sharron Ayers or Claire Whyman Hours: By arrangement
Want your children to have a party to remember? Why not get their friends and them to paint a picture on a plate, just imagation the fun you could have? Phone to find out how you can have your own plate or tile painted.

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