I'd like to drive around and see the beaches and sights on the West Coast of Auckland.

I can't seem to find a place to stay the night in that area. The few places that seemed close by all have a 2 night minimum.

fwiw, I'm going solo and will be checking out early in order to drive too AKL to catch a 9AM flight back to the states.

Thanks

It might work out better to stay closer in to Auckland airport if you are leaving the next morning.

It's not a very long drive from Auckland to the beaches on the west coast like Piha or Bethell's Beach (the one where Xenia was filmed apparently).

I've heard nothing but bad things about the airport hotels right around AKL.

If you know of a decent place near the airport that would be great to know.

I just thought it would be nice to stay on the or near the coast after my last day of touring.

Part of my problem is that searches i've done on the few town names i know (Te Henga, Piha etc) don't seem to result in many lodging choices.

Can you suggest what West Coast towns I should be looking at?

thanks

I had the same problem you did when trying to find lodging in Piha, Muriwai etc. Most places are holiday homes and want more than one night. I wound up at a nice B&B/hostel in Helensville, at Malolo House. It's convenient to Muriwai Beach, however I think it's just a bit too far away for a 9am flight.

I can't help with a personal recommendation for an airport hotel. I would just use the usual resources like Tripadvisor and the guide books.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kiwifann...AndNorthIsland

North Island pictures with some of Muriwai and Bethell's.