Doubtless Bay - Gastro Hot
Calling all lovers of food and wine - who also need to ensure the family are kept amused – I have the perfect holiday destination for you
Yes, it has safe and fun-filled beaches, fishing and a multitude of amusements rain or shine – but come on, you know that’s not the real reason we herd our family towards this gastro hot spot.
I must admit, I have a strangely skewed view of Doubtless Bay.
Taipa Bay, Doubtless Bay
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Where some know Cable Bay for its pink-sanded beach, a safe haven for kids - I know it serves the biggest scoops of rich, drippingly delicious ice cream that I’ve ever seen.
Some may enjoy the incredible collection of seafaring relics at the whaling museum, Butler Point – I do too, especially after I’ve visited the neighbouring olive and macadamia nut farms (chocolate covered and plain salted available!!). Yes, I also really loved the shiny red line of vintage tractors at the car museum – especially when continuing to munch on aforementioned treats.
Many rave about Maitai Bay with its two crescent shaped coves, clear blue waters, safe swimming, great fishing and a DOC camping site - my mind is distracted 2 kms earlier by the fabulous winery atop the hill overlooking the wetlands, manuka forests, pristine greened golf course and the white silica beaches of the Karikari Peninsula. Well, doesn’t a view look so much better with a glass of savvy and an antipasto platter?
World Famous Fish and Chips
Mangonui is a quaint harbourside, historic village settled in the early 1800’s by whalers with a fascinating heritage trail – yada yada yada. Did you know the man at the gourmet burger bar there bakes his own burger buns every day, lovingly producing a huge variety of juicy home-made patties and that there are a plethora of waterfront cafes serving fantastic coffee and fancy food?
Rangikapiti Pa provides an exquisite panoramic view of Mill Bay and the whole of Doubtless Bay – it’s also a fantastic vantage point to see when the coaches have departed from the world famous fish & chip shop and when I can hop down without being hindered by queues (What? – I brought it back up to the kids so we could all enjoy the view together)
For those with more energetic family members to distract, there’s Taupo Bay with its legendary surfing swells – but isn’t it better to distract them with some surfcasting? I mean, you can’t eat a surfboard.
“It’s doubtless a bay” proclaimed Captain Cook in 1769. According to me circa 2006 – it’s doubtless my favourite all-round family destination.
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