Seamore House B&B Waipu

B&B Accommodation at Seamore Rise B&B in coastal Waipu

Ken and Joyce welcome you to this large family room in their new modern house overlooking fabulous Bream Bay.  Relax and enjoy the view from your bedroom, or your own private outside patio overlooking the view.  A generous continental breakfast awaits you in the  morning and will be delivered to your room to enjoy at your leisure. 

Tariff:  $120-150 for 2 People – seasonal rates apply  $25 per extra adult
Contact Ken or Joyce to book yourhosts@seamore.co.nz or phone  09 432 0637

Facilities

• one queen bed and one single bed
• Wheelchair accessible
• all towels and linen supplied
• Sky TV and DVD library
• Tea and coffee making facilities, with fridge
• ample parking for car and/or boat
• private entrance

Location

Overlooking the Waipu River Mouth and off shore Islands and just 3 kms from the historic settlement of Waipu.  90 minutes from Auckland and half way between Auckland to the Bay of Islands – its perfect stop off place to relax and enjoy the real New Zealand.

Your Kiwi Hosts

Ken and Joyce Moreland have enjoyed the laid back Waipu lifestyle combined for over 100 years (wow!).  Ken enjoys golf at the local Waipu Golf Club and fishing – he regularly has his boat out in the Bay.  Joyce’s interests are craft and patchwork – some of her artwork adorns the walls of their home.

What to do in Waipu

Explore this website to find out more about what you can do in Waipu, Bream Bay, Mangawhai and Whangarei District.

• What to do in Waipu and Bream Bay
• Local Events Calendar
• Latest News
• Waipu on Twitter
  

Comments from Guests

Oliver and I have again enjoyed our stay in your beautiful home on the hill.  The view from our bedroom, over the Bay to the Islands, is always magnificent and the moonlight across the water at night is a special memory.  Thank you for your superb hospitality and come and visit our B&B in Russell. Pip and Oliver Campbell, Russell

If I had to recommend one place to stay in Northland it would be this B&B with breathtaking panoramic views of the sea, the sun rising out of the ocean, and the countryside all behind you.  A great place to relax and unwind.  The hospitality of the hosts is just as marvellous.  They are a genuinely friendly couple and make you feel at home.  This B&B is not to be missed.  Jeff Eager, from Nova Scotia, now calling Japan home, renowned world traveller and TV presenter.

Email – yourhosts@seamore.co.nz
Website: www.seamore.co.nz

Markets in Waipu, Ruakaka, Mangawhai and Whangarei

Most weekends there are markets in the area, which are a great way to shop locally for locally grown food, crafts, and bric a brac.  Check out the Bream Bay Calendar for dates, or for this weeks events, the home page of the website.

Waipu Markets

 

• Waipu Saturday Market: First Saturday of the Month in Waipu Coronation Hall 9-1pm  contact: Sue Martin ph 0274 586-144 email
• Waipu Boutique Sunday Market & Café:
  2nd Sunday of the Month
  Waipu Coronation Hall 9-1pm
  contact: Pav on 09 432 1891 or email  pav@kandiah.co.nz
• Waipu Street Market - Saturdays of long weekends 9-1pm  contact: If you are interested in having a stall contact Susan McRae 09 432 1029 bs.mcrae@xtra.co.nz
• Waipu Antiques and Collectables Fair – Sunday of Long weekends  9-4pm    contact: Leigh 09 432 0059

Images from Waipu Boutique Sunday Market & Café:

Ruakaka Markets

Ruakaka Community Markets: Third Sunday of the Month behind SuperValue supermarket. This is a community venture – the stall fee is $10.00 with all fees going back into the community. We are hoping to also have a few information stalls (no fees) Information: Sharon 09 432 8477, Helen 09 4330205, Annette 09 4330290

Whangarei Farmers Market

6.30-10.30 every Saturday morning The Growers Market offers a vast range of produce throughout the year with customers guaranteed that the produce is grown and processed by stallholders.

The market was started in 1998 by two growers who saw a need to foster and save small and medium size growers while offering consumers an alternative to mass produced goods. It was the first growers market in New Zealand and it remains the largest of its kind. Whangarei Farmers Market

Markets in Mangawhai

Mangawhai has weekly and monthly markets – well worth the drive around the coast – and don’t forget to visit the Smashed Pipi Gallery (one of the best in Northland) and Bennetts Café and Chocolataire.

• Mangawhai Market Every Saturday 9am – 1pm at the Library Hall in the Village
  Contact: Marita Draper, The Cheese Shop Ph: 09 431 2195  Mob 021 598 917
• 

  Photo by Steve Campbell Low Level Aerial photos by Overviewsnz.com of Kaiwaka

  Mangawhai Beach and Country Market At the Mangawhai Domain  Sunday 9am – 1pm, Car boot sites available
  Enquiries: Sue – 0274 586 144 toriamartin@hotmail.com

• Mangawhai Heads Market In the Wood Street Shops  Sunday’s 10am-2pm  Contact: Jan Ph: 09 431 2241

Blog posts about Markets in the Bream Bay area:

• Waipu Art and Craft Show over Easter
• Waipu Boutique Sunday Market - new owners
• Waipu Easter Carnival
• Ruakaka Community Market - now at Marsden Cove
• Sunday Market has New Owners

The Magic of Matakana, half way between Auckland and Waipu

The Matakana Market For years I have heard of the Matakana Market, but have never quite made it.  This weekend was it – we headed off from Waipu at 9.30 and when we arrived an hour later the market was still pumping.  (hours 8-1pm) It was everything we had hoped – lots of great local food to try and buy – we had soon loaded up with ciabatta bread, local avocado oil and Dukka, garlic and onions, sausages, mandarins ($5 a bag they were a bargain) and chocolate. The market is so well laid out and had a great energy and lots of parking.  We walked back to the car using the beautiful riverside walkway that runs below the market and under the road bridge. Add on a visit to the movies as we did, and Morris and James Pottery, and somewhere to eat along the way, this is a fabulous day trip from Auckland or from Waipu and Mangawhai.	The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..
Matakana Village Set in a picturesque valley between Warkworth and Omaha and Pakari Beach, Matakana is a gem.  Its mix of traditional and contemporary, integrated with beautiful outside spaces which tie the area together are breath taking.  The Farmers Market is situated at the heart of it all.  As a builder I wanted to know more about who was behind this development which I can only describe as outstanding.  A little research on google and I found out more: In 1992, local investor Richard Didsbury purchased the land where the Matakana Village project now stands. A few years later, Richard began kicking around ideas with Architect Noel Lane about what to do with the old sawmill site at the Matakana crossroads. Noel has established a reputation for cutting-edge, contemporary architecture, but when it came to designing Matakana Village he took a rather different approach. Just an hours drive north of Auckland. Didsbury’s vision was to establish a market for locally grown produce – now the thriving Matakana Farmer’s Market – and to re-invigorate the area with a boutique retail and cinema complex. Concepts for a contemporary development were shelved early on in the project when historical research revealed that Matakana was much older than the nearby town of Warkworth. Founded in 1862 [this date is taken from the year that the first local building, the school, was opened] Matakana was an early trading port with one of New Zealand’s first water-powered sawmills supplying timber to local shipwrights. “Richard’s research actually shifted the way we were thinking about the development”, says Lane. “Our ideas just slowly morphed to become more historic in aesthetic and detail, and we ended up feeling if we were too contemporary, it would be like storming the original village.” Both agreed that they were taking a big risk in going for a historical approach. “We didn’t want to do some sort of twee American [style] historic replica which the public would see through in five seconds.” says Didsbury. “We aimed to give the buildings some quirkiness so that people would inherently know when they stepped back and looked at the detail that these were not old buildings – that there was something unusual going on.” The overall design of the Matakana Village takes its cues from nearby historic buildings – the old dairy factory, the St. Leonard’s Anglican Church, Matakana House, and the existing colonial wooden houses. But Lane has used a myriad of creative devices, which draw on aspects of New Zealand’s cultural heritage, to give the buildings a modern twist. Many local craftspeople have also added their creative flair to the project, from the landscaping (The Isthmus Group), the lead lights (Stefanie Mann Glass), and the much talked about triple-layered, scribble steel balustrade in the cinema complex (EAT Engineering Ltd.) More on the story of the development of the Village	There is so much to see in this area, while you can do it in a day trip, it probably deserves a longer and more leisurely stay. The toilets at Matakana The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..
Two other things not to miss when visiting Matakana Matakana Cinemas Like the Farmers Market I had heard of these boutique cinemas, so we decided to see a movie while we were here.  There were three theatres and some great arthouse movies to choose from, and the movies are timed for market going patrons, with one of the sessions starting at between 12 and 1pm on a Saturday.  Fabulous small theatres – 4 Lazy boys in the front – so get their early if you fancy a stretch.  The other chairs are large and roomy, and you can take in coffee and a wine if purchased at the facilities. Morris and James Pottery Just a few hundred yards from Matakana you will find Morris and James -  leave the car and walk unless you plan to buy something to big to carry.  And you may well be tempted.  They were having a sale when I was there – the colours and forms are seductive, the building very user friendly – great spaces for kids to play, a Café. Winery Tours And don’t forget there are wineries to visit, shops and cafés along the way, and the beaches not too far away.	The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..

St John in Bream Bay

Bream Bay St John  – why not join us?

We are constantly in need of Operational Volunteers to ensure the ambulance can be crewed 24/7. The role of an Operational Volunteer is not only to administer medical care to patients; it includes attending sports meetings, special events, races, fishing competitions and more. Read more

Nairobi Trio plays Tara Lodge Mangawhai

Last weekend we spend a great afternoon at Tara Lodge in Mangawhai listening to the Nairobi Trio.  What a great way to spend an afternoon – lazing on the grass in the sun with a picnic.  Watch out for their programme of events next summer.  Last one of this summer is the Great Gatsby Garden Party 21 March 2010. Read more

What next after a prize winning Garden Centre

Story by Hannah Spyksma

After selling Mangawhai’s award winning Naja Garden Centre barely 18 months ago, local business veterans, Natalie and Jac Spyksma have just announced the opening of their latest venture.

The couple have opened a business in Langs Beach, providing two or three day fully catered walking adventures for small groups. Read more

Tara Lodge hosts the Kaipara Music Festival

9 January was brilliant weather, so Liz and I headed to Mangawhai for the Kaipara Music Festival at Tara Lodge. What a fabulous venue – picnic rugs spread out, all ages, Lochiel wines on sale – it iss based on a winning formula – a musical feast of performers to entertain, while you relax with a picnic feast of goodies.

Musicians included: (photos below!) Read more

Mangawhai Market and Bennetts Chocolate

Mangawhai Farmers Market Mangawhai is a 25 minute drive along the coast from Waipu where I live – last Saturday we decided to head off to the Mangawhai Farmers Market. Read more

Waipu Caledonian Games – Clan Maclean elected to Host 2010

The Clan Maclean Association of New Zealand is thrilled to have been chosen as the Host Clan for the 139th Highland Games of the Waipu Caledonian Society on New Year’s Day 2010. Read more

Langs Beach Lodge – walking adventures

Bream Bay has a new tourist accommodation which focuses on walkers …

Langs Beach Lodge has been developed by the former owners of the successful Naja Garden Centre in Mangawhai Natalie and Jac Spyksmas.  They are offering their lovely home as an accommodation base for 2-3 day short break walking adventures. Natalie and Jac are both keen walkers themselves, they appreciate and enjoy the sense of camaraderie and wellbeing that having an adventure like this creates. Over the last 18 months, they have enjoyed walks in Europe, Japan and New Zealand. Read more

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