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Just over the hill from Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty is the beachside town of Ohope. The road to the East Coast and Gisborne travels directly through settlement and it is well worth a stop.
The main attraction of Ohope is its magnificent beach. It stretches for more than eleven kilometers in a virtual straight line. On the eastern end is a golf course, large reserve and direct access to Ohiwa Harbor, a popular spot for fishing directly from the beach.
There are very few shops or cafes in Ohope, so anything other than emergency shopping is best done in Whakatane or Opotiki. As you enter from Whakatane there is a small cluster of building consisting of a general store, an excellent art gallery and a couple of cafes. On the right is the Quay Cafe, one of the best in the whole Whakatane area.
There are also several accommodation options in Ohope. If planning an overnight in the general vicinity, this would make a good alternative to Whakatane as a place to stay.
Ohope Beach becomes very crowded from late December until late January, the New Zealand peak summer holiday period. For the rest of the year it's fairly quiet. It's well worth spending some time there on your trip around the Bay of Plenty.
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