Where you sleep in Katikati decides what kind of trip you have. Stay on Main Road and you can walk to dinner and the murals. Stay out in the orchards or the Kaimai foothills and you trade the walk for quiet, stars and birdsong. Stay at a holiday park and the warm pools are a short walk from your cabin. Katikati accommodation covers all three within about 6 km of the town centre.
None of it is large. There are no big hotels here, so the best places can book out in January and on Avocado Festival weekend.
Where to stay in Katikati
Pick Main Road for convenience, the countryside for quiet, or a holiday park for the hot pools. The distances are short enough that none of these choices cuts you off from the others.
The motels on Main Road put restaurants, cafés and the bus stop to Tauranga within a short walk. The lodge and cottages sit 2 to 6 km out, a few minutes' drive, among orchards, bush and harbour-edge gardens. The holiday parks and glamping site are out on the rural roads to the west and north, where the land starts climbing into the Kaimai Range.
Motels and the hotel in town
Two motels and one hotel sit in or right beside the town centre, and all three are within a short walk of dinner.
For an old-fashioned hotel room above a pub, the Talisman Hotel at 7 Main Road has plain rooms, a restaurant, a garden and a bar with car memorabilia, and serves lunch and dinner seven days.
Staying in town also means the evening sorts itself out: dinner on Main Road is never more than a few blocks away.
Country lodges and cottages
Out of town, a country lodge and two self-contained cottages give you orchards, bush or a harbour-edge garden, each a few minutes' drive from Main Road.
The practical difference between the three is the kitchen. Both cottages are self-contained, so you cook for yourself, while Purple Hen offers lodge rooms and suites. The Bird Gardens cottage is built for two; the kiwifruit cottage takes a family of four.
Holiday parks, camping and hot pools
Katikati has one thermal-pool holiday park in the bush south-west of town, and a second is a short drive north at Athenree. Both have campsites and cabins, and both let guests use the pools.
North of town, Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park in Athenree, about 12.6 km away, has cabins and powered sites next to its own geothermal mineral pools.
If the pools are the point of your trip, the mineral pools at each park compare differently on temperature, hours and kids.
Glamping and freedom camping
Katikati also has one glamping site and one free, council-run freedom camping area in town.
For self-contained vehicles, Uretara Domain on Major Street has a dedicated freedom camping area with public toilets and a free dump station with water. Check the council's current rules on vehicle types and length of stay before you park up, since freedom camping bylaws change.
Katikati Naturist Park
Katikati Naturist Park is an award-winning naturist holiday park, for people who prefer to holiday without clothes.
B&Bs, farmstays and luxury lodges
Beyond the places above, Tourism Bay of Plenty lists several smaller properties around Katikati that take bookings directly. These are named here for completeness; check each one's own site for availability.
Villa Vie is a French-style farmhouse at the base of the Kaimai Range with a three-bedroom villa and two self-contained cottages. Aberfeldy Farmstay and Bed and Breakfast runs sheep and cattle, with sea and hill views, a hearty breakfast and hosts who take one party at a time.
At the top end, Matahui Lodge takes a maximum of four guests with harbour and vineyard views, golf, a private gym and a spa, and Villa93 Luxury Lodge is a boutique bed and breakfast where a private chef cooks for guests. Shelley Bay Retreat is a single studio cabin in a rural setting with views over the harbour.
Katikati accommodation by budget
Prices change by season and demand, but the rates listed at the time of writing give a sense of the spread.
At the lower end, campsites at the holiday parks cost the least, and pool access is included for guests. Katikati Motel has been listed from about $104 a night, and Purple Hen Country Lodge from about $120 on TripAdvisor.
In the middle, the Katikati Kiwifruit Cottage has run from $160 to $190 a night and the naturist park's en-suite chalets from $160. ASURE Kaimai View Motel has been listed from about $217. The luxury lodges sit above all of these.
Motorhomes and campervans
Motorhomes are welcome at Sapphire Springs, and self-contained vehicles can use the freedom camping area at Uretara Domain with its free dump station. During the Avocado Festival in January, extra motorhome parking has been offered at Katikati Primary School on Beach Road for $20 a night.
Things to do from your base
Wherever you stay, the town is small enough that nothing is far away, from free Main Road murals to a gin distillery and Kaimai bush tracks.
If you are new to the area, where the name Katikati comes from is a story worth knowing before you arrive.
When to book accommodation in Katikati
Book early for January, when summer holidays and the Avocado Festival fill most places, and for school holidays generally. Outside summer most places have midweek availability. The weather stays mild all year, so a winter stay with a hot pool is a real option rather than a compromise.
Getting here
Katikati is on State Highway 2, about 40 km by road north-west of Tauranga and about two hours' drive from Auckland. Buses stop on Main Road opposite the Information Centre. Getting here from Tauranga is straightforward by car, bus or taxi.
Frequently asked questions
Published August 23, 2026
