Magnificent meanderings to Marokopa

A 50km drive out west of Waitomo will lead you through an amazing limestone landscape to the historic west-coast fishing village of Marokopa.

We recently took the scenic route from Waitomo Caves (after we had stayed at Woodlyn Park), and I was blown away by the views along the way.

The road twisted and turned as New Zealand put on a good show of its rugged character and I could not stop taking pictures through a somewhat fly splattered windscreen.

A convenient lay-by allows you to view the distant mountain of central North Island: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapahu.

A rather overgrown surrounding hillside means you may have to climb on top of the handy picnic table to do this though.

The drive also takes you past Mangapohue Natural Bridge and Marokopa Falls.
Both equally impressive must-see destinations which I will post about later this week.

We continued to driving through dense forest then the road bought us to the rich green pastures surrounding Marokopa River.

In parts it felt almost like Hawkes Bay and I half expected to see rows of vines on the quiet hills.

The road followed the clear waters of the river through the valley and brought us to the secluded coastal settlement of Marokopa.

The fishing village has a quiet timeless feel about it.

Most of the large sections scattered around the central street appear to be holiday homes or traditional baches.

Marokopa is popular for fishing and the village seemed pretty busy over Easter weekend with families enjoying the water, sunshine and long beaches of black volcanic sands.

There is no petrol station or cell phone coverage, just a campground with a small shop supplying groceries and fishing gear.

It’s a very relaxing place and easy to wind down to a different pace of life there.

The Kiwi Blog Bus visits Marokopa Beach