Seems like a long summer in Mangawhai. Spent today in here and honestly it’s giving low-key coastal core 🌊 A small holiday town about an hour north of Auckland with a massive natural harbour and some seriously deep history. The name comes from Māori and means stream of the stingray, which is kinda cool ngl.
Apparently back in the day both Māori and early European settlers used this spot like a main travel route between the south, the hinterland and the west coast — basically the OG highway. It also saw Māori tribal conflicts and was part of the European expansion north from Auckland, so yeah… lots of lore here.
Now it feels pretty boujee 💅 definitely the kind of place set up for summer holiday crowds with nice houses, markets, and beach vibes all round.
We wandered to the local market (very cute), hit the chocolate factory and café (elite behaviour 🍫), and walked along the surf beach at Mangawhai Heads which was actually stunning.
Weather is still kinda unreal for nearly April — sunny and about 23–24°C ☀️ The ice-cream guy said summer had been in since early December. Now that’s a long summer!
Tomorrow we head back down to Auckland. Road trip continues 🚗