Nice place to eat. Not much else unless you want to learn at Maori schools. As a community, people are respectful - even the young have learnt to respect elder visitors. Unfortunately, no Eccles cakes towards the end of the week.
Otaki as a town is nothing to write home about. It is fast just becoming another Cannons Creek, Porirua. If you don't want to stop and shop there then I would recommend just driving past the off ramp to Otaki and contiunue your journey northwards.
It was a great stopover on our way to the capital city. We had already traveled for a number of hours. Mowbrays (the stamp shop) was a must visit for us and if you're into clothes shopping you'll do well. It was disappointing that the Maori church was closed but we viewed the statue of Te Raparaha.
Its best pie shop (Main Street Bakery) closes during the school holidays but the next one (Salut) has some interesting tastes. Great roast lamb can be found at Town and Country Food Otaki. There is also an RSA (Retired Serviceman's Association) out back of town where everyone can get a good meal (evening), some alcohol and gaming entertainment.
Otaki is a quaint place with 2 supermarkets at either end of the town and a selection of eateries/takeaways. It is very easy to find from SH1 and has a beautiful beach that stretches for miles. The area seemed clean and well looked after.
The room was very dated and in need of modernisation although the bathroom appeared to be brand new. The heat pump didn't work and the motel is located next to SH1 so heavy traffic noises all night long.
