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Pakiri Beach is one of our family’s favourite beaches to spend a weekend with the kids. Situated just over an hour’s drive from Auckland, Pakiri Beach remains a hidden gem on the Matakana Coast.
If you’re also exploring the Matakana Coast as we are, you’re probably looking for accommodation up this way to make the most of your weekend. Most of the accommodations between Warkworth and Mangawhai are either Holiday Parks or Lodges. If you’re looking to stay near Pakiri Beach, the obvious option would be Pakiri Beach Holiday Park.
Pakiri Beach Holiday Park sits on the mouth of the Poutawa Stream alongside Pakiri Beach. The Holiday Park offers a range of accommodations for everyone.
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Even though we came at the end of February during school term and avoided public holidays, Pakiri Beach Holiday Park was still fairly busy, occupied mostly by families with young kids.
Pakiri Beach Holiday Park often gets booked out quickly over summer and public holidays. So book ahead of time if you’re looking to stay in a cabin during peak season, especially the waterfront luxury cabins.
We were forced to switch off and unwind during our stay here, and it was just what we needed. Due to its remote location, the signal was very weak close to none during our stay and wifi at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park was a paid service.
© Photos by Kida
Table of Contents:
Family-friendly Things To Do at Pakiri
There are plenty to do at Pakiri Beach and an abundance of activities to keep you and your kids entertained at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park. You can easily spend a weekend here or stay for a week during the school holidays.
The beauty of Pakiri Beach is the warm, shallow waters that only go up to knee-high. It’s a perfect swimming spot for toddlers and young kids.
You can bring your own paddleboards, kayaks or hire them from Pakiri Beach Holiday Park to enjoy water sports on the calm waters.
© Photos by Kida
Pakiri Beach is popular with native birds nesting on the shorelines. It’s a tranquil place to relax and unwind, watching mesmerising sunsets over the horizon. This place has excellent visibility of the Milky Way on a clear night.
Pakiri Beach is a great place to get away from the crowd and try your hand at fishing near the mouth of the River where it meets the sea.
© Photos by Kida
If you’re up for short drives from Pakiri, you can visit these places with kids on a day trip.
- Try Clearyak in Leigh.
- Must-do snorkelling, diving or Glass bottom boat in Goat Island.
- Kids will love the reptiles at Ti Point Reptile Park.
- Another great swimming spot at Matheson Bay Reserve.
- Check out Matakana Farmers Market on a Saturday.
- Enjoy the smooth white sand at Omaha Beach.
- Take the Kawau Cruises and spend a day on Kawau Island.
© Photos by Kida
Pakiri Beach Holiday Park Review
Our family had stayed at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park twice in the past couple of years and we had enjoyed our stay on both occasions. We weren’t able to book far ahead in advance to stay at the luxury waterfront cabins but were content with the budget family cabins aside from our toddler being attacked by mozzies.
Don’t forget to check out the video tour of Pakiri Beach Holiday Park up the top!
Staff & Service
We had a great experience with the staff here at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park. There was always someone to pick up the phone on the other end and the email instructions were thorough and clear. The entire booking and check-in process was well organised and there was clear communication throughout the whole stay.
There was an after-hour box by the reception for guests who are checking in after 5pm.
We were given a welcome letter, a map of the campground and covid-related information upon check-in.
Beachfront Cabins
The beachfront cabins were the most luxurious and sought-after cabins at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park.
© Photos by Kida
They were more spacious than the basic cabins, separating the bedroom bunks and master bedroom with a cozy lounge and a small kitchenette in the middle.
If you’re lucky enough to book one of these beachfront cabins, you can literally sit on your front porch and enjoy the most mesmerising panoramic view of Pakiri Beach at golden hours.
At nighttime, stargaze with your partner after the kids go down and listen to the sea roar.
© Photos by Kida
Family Cabins
There are family cabins of all sizes at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park.
We stayed in a family cabin with a single bunk and a duo bunk (double at the bottom), which sleeps 5.
Our cabin (#26) was a basic bedroom with a bedside table, a fridge and a bench. Communal bathroom and kitchen were within a minute walk.
The beds came with fitted sheets and pillows, but without blankets. Because it was summer, we packed long pyjama pants and they were enough to keep us warm throughout the night.
We paid a little over $120 for the night and expected nothing more than the beds. However, our beds squeaked from even the smallest movements. So if you’re a light sleeper, you may want to speak with the reception at the time of booking.
I personally didn’t like the soft foam mattress as I was already aching from mum pains. Nonetheless, we set our expectations from the start so we weren’t too bothered with the beds.
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The sliding door of our family cabin opened out to a small deck that was connected to two other cabins.
There was a window and a fan in the room. Although the fan helped with ventilation, the room was still very stuffy at night with 4 people sleeping in a small room.
One thing we found inconvenient was there were only 2 power points in the room. 1 for the fridge and 1 for the fan. So we had to unplug one or the other to charge our phones.
There was a 3L bottle of filtered drinking water in the fridge. We had to use the water source from the campsite behind us as there was no tap in the room.
We brought our own kettle for convenience and we would recommend bringing your own mugs and kitchenware too if you plan on having a meal at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park.
There were local newspapers and a neatly compiled guidebook on the bedside table which had information on things to do, emergency information, restaurant recommendations, shops and more.
There was a current issue of the Junction handbook and a free Visitors Guide to take with you for keen travellers.
© Photos by Kida
Campsites
There was a large lawn for campers just behind our cabin with powered and unpowered sites. The vast open space was a great place for kids to ride bikes and play balls.
There were many caravans that seemed to be permanently docked here. Because of that, the caravans were decorated with characters, adding a bit of a gypsy vibe to Pakiri Beach Holiday Park.
© Photos by Kida
The Bathrooms & Shower
The bathrooms were clean and well equipped with basic amenities. However, you’ll need to exchange some coins at the reception for hot showers.
We loved the spacious family bathroom which had a changing table in a large shower room. We washed both kids with ease here during our stay.
Hot Tips
If you’re booking one of the bedroom-only cabins, bring a torch for bathroom visits at night.
Communal Kitchen
If it wasn’t for Covid restrictions, the kitchen area at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park would be a nice area to hang out and meet other families. It was well-kept and fully equipped with BBQs.
© Photos by Kida
Laundry
There was a laundry room with washing machines and dryers.
Games & Movie Room
If you had older kids and needed some entertainment, there was a Games Room with lots of books and a Movie Room.
Playground, Jumping Pillow & Waterslide
The Jumping Pillow was deflated shortly after we had arrived, so unfortunately we didn’t get to enjoy that.
The waterslide was a unique feature of the Holiday Park. The owners cleverly incorporated fun into nature by adding this extra touch.
For our kids, the playground was the highlight of their stay at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park.
© Photos by Kida
Water Sports Hire
Kayaks, paddleboards and carts were available for hire at the reception. It would’ve been nice if we had a few more days to enjoy these activities provided by the Holiday Park.
© Photos by Kida
Final Verdict
We’ve always loved Pakiri Beach. For years, we’ve been coming here with the kids to get away from the buzz in our lives.
Usually, we do day trips from Auckland to Matakana Market, then up this way to enjoy a swim in the warm waters of Pakiri Beach. Don’t forget to click on the scroll to top button for a video vlog of our stay at Pakiri!
Occasionally, we book a stay at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park for a weekend getaway. Our family has grown out of holiday parks recently but Pakiri Beach Holiday Park is affordable and comfortable enough for a short stay. For families who still love camping and budget holidays, this is one of our highly recommended holiday parks to bring the kids.
© Photos by Kida
Check availability at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park
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