Cockles, pipis all to hand at Maketu retreat

The letter from Australia was compelling. "I am writing about a slice of heaven we found in the Bay of Plenty when travelling through New Zealand recently," wrote Sydney businessman Philip Beck.

"We've travelled all over the world from Europe, Canada, America, Japan and Asia, but found the ultimate spot here in your backyard."

That spot was the Blue Tides Bed and Breakfast at Maketu, near Te Puke.

"The panoramic views spread right up to the Coromandel coast, the sound of the ocean waves and sea birds are a constant source of serenity and the most amazing thing is the sunsets - we have never experienced such majestic scenes," wrote Beck.

"As a busy and somewhat stressed executive couple we appreciate finding places where we can recharge our batteries and get back to reality - if only for a short period of time. At Blue Tides we achieved this and more. I strongly urge you to investigate this very special spot."

It was raining the day I took his advice and the tide was out in the Maketu estuary, which is usually home to huge flocks of migrating seabirds. Not the best time to see a slice of heaven.

Yet the panorama was just as Beck described it and if the mist stopped me from seeing as far as the Coromandel coast, I could certainly envisage the view on a clear day.

Tricia Haine, Blue Tides' mine host, is a Bay of Plenty girl who went off to the bright lights of Auckland, crewed on the first Yamaha Cup yacht race to Japan and ended up staying there for nine years teaching English in a school she established. Haine also kept travelling, taking Japanese tourists on escorted trips to Europe, Canada, Alaska and New Zealand.

But her exile ended after she spent Christmas 1999 with her son, a Bay of Plenty flower grower, and noticed that an old State house overlooking Maketu, which she had often admired on previous visits, was for sale.

Haine bought the house on the spot and set about a major rebuilding and restoration project.

"I've travelled around the world and never seen a better position than here," she says.

"We can gather cockles and pippies almost at the doorstep and in the evening sit on the deck and watch the most incredible sunsets," says Haine.

And because there are no nearby city lights, the night skies from this little "slice of heaven" have guests out on the deck talking until the wee small hours.

To make this "heaven on earth" pay, Haine turned the home into a bed and breakfast.

Many of her guests have been from overseas, particularly Japan, and they have been as taken with the location as Philip Beck. There's also the breakfast which may include fresh field mushrooms and always fresh Bay of Plenty fruit.

"I love it here," says Haine. "I'm so glad I came back. I feel I am in heaven every day."

* Bed and breakfast at Blue Tides costs $120 a double during the peak season - October to March - and $100 during the off-season. The single rate is $65 a night. Dinner is available for $25.

Contact: Tricia Haine, ph (07) 533 2023, 025 261 3077, email bluetides@tepuke.co.nz, website Bluetides