Opoutere YHA is a peaceful spot on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula, a great place to get away from it all. The YHA Opoutere is situated on the site of the old Opoutere School, with the old schoolhouse now used as a dorm. There is a pleasant, well-equipped kitchen and dining room, plus a choice of dorms, twins, doubles, and family cabins.
On a fine day you can relax on the front lawn and gazebo overlooking the estuary, or enjoy games such as volleyball, badminton, stilt walking, and table tennis. A cosy common room with plenty of books and games is a great place to while away those hours in the evening, or on a wet day. The absence of TV in the hostel makes for a tranquil, relaxing environment.
When the tide is in, you can borrow canoes free of charge to explore the estuary and paddle up the Opoutere stream for a kilometre or two. There are several walks you can do -- visit the ocean beach, walk through the pine forest, climb up to the lookout behind the hostel (a great place to see the sun rise), explore the short bush walk behind the hostel, and view the DOC bird sanctuary at the mouth of the estuary, host to the Dotterel Bird Recovery Programme.
The hostel is open to everyone. There is a small surcharge if you do not have a YHA membership card. Bookings are essential as the hostel is often full, especially at holiday periods. There is a small shop in the hostel office. Otherwise the nearest shops are in Whangamata fourteen kilometres away. Go Kiwi provides a daily bus service between Opoutere and Tauranga, Rotorua, Whangamata, and Whitianga.
-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
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