Day 6: Taupō → Napier → Te Awanga
2026-11-07 · Taupō → Te Awanga
103 mi · 166 km · 2h 35m @40mph
Morning soak in the free Spa Park hot stream where the hot Otumuheke meets the cold Waikato. Then the Thermal Explorer Highway (SH5) over the ranges to Napier for lunch and an Art Deco wander, and out to the coast at Clifton Road Reserve, Te Awanga, with Cape Kidnappers filling the southern horizon.
Stops
Tonight: Te Awanga
No place picked for this night yet.
In Te Awanga base plan
- Clifton Road Reserve freedom-camp
Premium council-approved beachfront freedom camp with flush toilets, drinking water and bins — park on the beach boundary, right by the surf and the start of the Kidnappers Coast bike trail.
- Napier Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park holiday-park
Full-hookup beachfront backup at Bay View (~20 min north of Te Awanga) — powered sites, dump station, beachfront café. Hastings TOP 10 is the inland alternative near the wineries. Booking rule: two-night minimum on any stay that includes 8 November — we're here nights 6–7 (7–8 Nov), so the minimum is already met.