Pukenui Travel Guide

As the main road north wanders along the harbour edge in Pukenui you get glimpses of the Houhora harbour.

There are beautiful picnic spots along the way so get a picnic lunch together - or buy something from the shop, find one of those spots and have a picnic right by the harbour!

It is now easy to get to and from Pukenui on Thursdays by catching the busabout which runs between Kaitaia and Pukenui.

For $5 for a one way ticket you can either come up for the day or a week.

The bus does two round trips, one in the morning and one in the afternoon on THURSDAYS only.

Locals often use this bus to go to Kaitaia to do their shopping, going down in the morning and back on the afternoon run.

It does not run for 2 weeks in Christmas.

The Houhora Wharf store is situate on the main road, close to the wharf and stocks a little bit of everything.

It is the biggest store on this whole peninsula

What to buy: Part of the 4 square chain, the store often runs specials.

What to pay: Prices are about average, with specials being good value.

Do not expect to have crystal clear cell phone reception here as it fades in and out on the main road north.

Receiving texts is easier than taking phone calls. When you get a bar or 2 and want to make a phone call, DO NOT move the phone, instead dial the number then move your ear to the phone else you may loose your bars.

Vodafone tends to have better reception than Telecom.

The harbour has a fast flowing deep water channel where snapper, john dory, kingfish, kawhai, and trevally can be caught right up to the wharf. The early morning is best for the kingi and the john dory run all day.

Equipment: Livebait is the best for catching a kingi and your biggest challenge would probably be catching the live bait!

We have found that the best way to catch the live bait is by using treble hooks that are weighted down by a ball sinker tied under the hook and we catch the baitfish by snagging these.

Favorite thing: Pukenui is ideally located for anyone who wants to explore the real far north rather than just pass through on a flying visit to the cape.

Situated approximately half way between Kaitaia and Cape Reinga and located on the shores of the Houhora harbour, there is accommodation here for all tastes and budgets.

The local store, called the Houhora warf store has a good range of products at reasonable prices while the cafe in the complex has great coffee.

Locals often call into the shop, and if you are sitting outside enjoying a coffee, have a chat - you may pick up local knowledge of where to go and what to do that that other tourists are not aware of.