Discover Riverhead: Hotels and things to do

Riverhead offers a range of ways to explore the area. At Riverhead War Memorial Park, a 1.8-metre-wide walking path runs around the sports fields; a cruise travels along sheltered waterways to the Riverhead Tavern, reached after 1.5 hours. Good Planet offers seasonal berry picking, as well as an adventure park and water play park. The Riverhead adds an à la carte restaurant with a river-view terrace to your stay. When choosing a hotel, you can consider whether walks, a boat trip, farm activities, or food and history should shape your stay.

Walks, boat trips and forest

The 1.8-metre-wide walking path at Riverhead War Memorial Park runs around the sports fields. If you’d like to include a walk in your stay, you can consider this park path as a specific reason to visit. The focus here is a path with a clearly defined route: it loops around the sports fields and offers a way to get some exercise outdoors.

The Riverhead Tavern cruise offers a different way to plan your time. Its route follows sheltered waterways and reaches the tavern after 1.5 hours. The duration gives you a specific timeframe for the trip; check the cruise duration and operating schedule before setting out. The park path and boat trip appeal to different interests: a loop around sports fields or a journey along sheltered waterways.

Riverhead Forest is nearby. It features dense stands of pine, open clearings and winding gravel tracks. Parking is available at several edges of the forest, particularly near the access points on Forestry Road and Saddleback Road. Do not block forestry access gates, and follow the current signage: forestry operations may affect navigation.

Farm activities and seasonal planning

At Good Planet, you can pick your own strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries and blueberries. This activity is available seasonally, so plan it according to the season and check before your visit whether pick-your-own is offered on your travel dates.

Good Planet also has an adventure park and a water play park with inflatable slides, trampolines and ziplines. Some activities are weather-dependent. It’s worth checking two different conditions when planning: the berries are available seasonally, while the weather determines whether certain park activities can go ahead.

There’s also a farm café serving fruit ice cream, hot drinks and smoothies. A fresh seasonal selection is available for breakfast, brunch and lunch. So alongside pick-your-own and the park attractions, Good Planet also offers a culinary focus. Depending on whether you’re planning a meal, a drink or an activity, different parts of the offering may be most relevant.

Food and history

The Riverhead has an à la carte restaurant. Its outdoor terrace is surrounded by 100-year-old oak trees and overlooks the river. This combines dining with a distinctive setting of mature trees and river views. The Riverhead is described as New Zealand’s oldest riverside inn and has a 160-year history. The restaurant, terrace and history give this visit a different focus from Good Planet’s seasonal harvests and weather-dependent park activities.

Discover more destinations: Dairy Flat, Hunua, Waiwera, Pohuehue, Mauku, Manukau, Tuakau, Big Omaha

For the broader travel overview: Auckland.