Where to find Camdeboo Hill Station
As you turn off State Highway 1, heading towards the hills opposite the coastline, the feeling of something special begins to seed.
Once you have been driving for 15 minutes you really know that you're heading high into the historic hills of Waipu. The winding road gives you a feeling of remoteness that encapsulates the essence of the property itself. Moving along the gravel road, you have a sense that the dust in your rear view mirror symbolizes the stresses of city life that you're leaving behind
Through the gate, the commanding views of native bush and green mountains in front of you, and the stunning landscape of ocean, make your arrival a wow moment! The main guesthouse sits proudly in its position as the keeper of this beautiful 31-hectare piece of land. You really do feel like you are on top of the world.
When you walk through the large front door of the main guesthouse, the love the owners have put into its creation instantly wraps its warmth around you. The impressive staircase leads you to the mezzanine, and from this vantage point the size of the two striking chandeliers, highlights the immense height of the vaulted ceiling. There are six large suites, each with decor that takes you on a journey to one of the far away countries the owners have either resided in or fallen in love with during their life’s journeys so far. Throughout the property, it is easy to feel how their Whakapapa has meshed with their connection to Camdeboo, the South African Wildlife Reserve, the place that inspired the property’s name Camdeboo Hill Station. The 14,500 hectare Camdeboo National Park was proclaimed as South Africa’s 22nd National Park In October 2005. The name comes from the Khoi word !Xamdeboo (green valley).
What is a hill station you may ask? Hill stations have long been an attraction for people as a place for recuperation and relaxation. Their history dates back to colonial times. In India and Africa, the natural beauty and more favourable climate of the hills over the plains, influenced the establishment of hill stations.
History of the Waipu, Bream Bay area
There is a sign along State Highway I that hundreds of people must pass every day on their way north to Whangarei. WAIPU it says, in big letters. A hundred thousand welcomes. Next to it is a painting of a man dressed in a kilt, holding bagpipes. He is the mascot for Waipu, a symbol of a town deeply rooted in Scottish heritage and history. On his arrival, Captain Cook commented : ‘We had no sooner come to an [anchor] than we caught between 90 and 100 Breams, [a fish so-called] this occasioned my giving this place the name of Bream Bay’.
About a two-hour drive north of Auckland City, Waipu has a population of more than 2000 people and is famous for its idyllic beaches and a coastline that swarms with Auckland tourists every summer. It's like most small towns across the country. In it you'll find a primary school, a Four Square, a petrol station, a take away shop. Perhaps what makes Waipu distinct is the monument to its Scottish founders and the Waipu Highland Games, running for nearly 150 years and known around the world as one of the longest running Scottish gatherings in the Southern Hemisphere. The Waipu Museum is filled with names and faces and numbers and in-depth history of the story of the Scottish settlers who arrived in Waipu in the 1850s. Waipu was settled by Scottish settlers led by Reverend Norman McLeod, a Presbyterian minister from Scotland.
Waipu is the main town in the Bream Bay Area and is the centre of some amazing outdoor activities. Explore glow worm caves, surf the waves, see magnificent waterfalls and more.
The Waipu Caves are considered important for geomorphology because they include the largest cave passage in Northland. Bones of bats, birds, amphibians and reptiles may be found along with the remains of fossil invertebrates. The cave entry is wide and within the entrance to the caves themselves you will find stalactites, stalagmites and glow worms. The main cave is 175 metres long and encloses one of the longest stalagmites in New Zealand [eight feet high and six feet in diameter]. When visiting the caves, we suggest you take a torch, wear good walking shoes or gum boots and be prepared to get your feet wet, especially in winter. From the caves, a 2-kilometre walk leads you through a picturesque karst limestone landscape across farmland and regenerating bush to a point where you can take in the magnificent views.
