Tata Beach is a small beach just past Pohara, and about 20 minutes from Takaka. You drive by these huge beautiful cliff/rock structures to get there. You cannot see the beach from the highway- it feels more private and protected, and yet it is close to wherever you need to go. Neville and Debby’s home is literally a couple of minutes from the beach thru a sandy walkway. They are super responsive-texted with me about my questions and our arrival time, gave excellent restaurant recommendations and sightseeing recommendations given the constraints of our limited amount of time, were warm and friendly, and have a spacious and clean apartment for guests. There is an estuary right in their backyard! And they made flat whites for us “to go”. I also liked the original artwork, the new and clean wall to wall carpeting, the comfortable beds, the fresh baked treats, freshly roasted coffee, and notebook asking for any suggestions to make our stay even better. They were friendly but never intrusive. We all wished we could have stayed longer.
Our favorite places- The Grove (short walk aming amazing lush tropical foliage and huge gorgeous boulders, close by in Clifton; Wharariki Beach: over an hour’s drive away from Tata with a 20 minute walk thru farmland to get to the windy ocean with otherworldly monoliths and caves (plan on a lesiurely hour walk to the left and go at half to low tide).