The Hostelz.com Review
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.
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
April 2006
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HI - YHA Opoutere Hostel Details
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I stayed here in 1972 for two months in June and July. It was peaceful, beautiful, and magical. About three cars a day passed by. The other hostellers were wonderful. They were from Canada, like myself, Australia, England, the United States. For all those years Opoutere remained in my mind like a shangri-la, a refuge from noise and the city where we had to live to make a living. In 2005 I went back to visit and discovered that it was the same! It had not changed and was still magical with that incredible view of the estuary and the sea. Next year I'll go back again. This time I'll climb the hill behind the hostel and gaze at the Aldermen and Slipper and Shoe and remember all those friends and think about how lucky I am to have experienced this entrancing oasis. — Jim Leeson-Victoria, British Columbia. (2006-06-24)