We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.

Kingfish Lodge

avatar-imageavatar-imageavatar-image
Traveller (48)
Room & Suite (51)
Dining (5)

View prices for your travel dates

Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View all

About

#2 of 2 hotels in Whangaroa
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value

Boutique water-front lodge accommodation.

More than just a fishing lodge.... Romantic escapes, rest and relaxation, wedding and event venue, private parties and special occasions, corporate events, conference facility.

Families welcome, young children with prior arrangement please due to water proximity.

Read more
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Free breakfast
Beach
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Business Centre with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Non-smoking hotel
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Laundry service
Show more
Room features
Minibar
Refrigerator
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
95Reviews2Q+A1Room tip

Reviews
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.

Traveller rating
  • 78
  • 7
  • 2
  • 4
  • 4
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
Selected filters
  • Filter
  • English
Sort by:
Most Recent
avatar-image
Wayne C wrote a review Jul 2017
Auckland, New Zealand2 contributions9 helpful votes
We read these reviews with interest as we note the last few have been written well after the time we closed the lodge for rebuilding. There can be no mistaking that it is closed... there is a large sign on the edge of the jetty saying so and there is obvious construction works. SO for reasons only known the the reviewers, those that are reporting they have visited since after May 2016 have not actually been here!!! Watch this space for future announcements of a new and reinvigorated Kingfish Lodge
Read more
Date of stay: July 2017
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
4 Helpful votes
Helpful
Share
avatar-image
Lindsey J wrote a review Mar 2017
54 contributions56 helpful votes
We radioed to see if we could come along side their wharf, were told no and to pick up a certain bouy located about 50 meters from the Kingfish Lodge wharf. I'm on the bow with the boat hook to lift the bouy and unfortunately it is at it full length of chain and will not lift in order to attach the anchoring rope. We radioed to the Lodge once again and reluctantly were given the go-ahead for the wharf but were told we could stay long. After a couple of minutes we're along side and making our way along the wharf to the Lodge. I'm not joking here .... some guy who looked like he had been pulled through the bushes backwards came to greet us and asked what we were doing here. Our reply was to have a look at the lodge and stay for a bite. "Oh" said the attendant with a look that would have said out loud ..."bugger off". We were told that there is no food and that the "chef" is re-arranging the kitchen. We went into the lounge/bar area and looked at some of my parents photos from the 1960's as they were both avid fishers of big game and were asked "how long are you going to be here" (looking at those photos)? Very obviously we weren't welcome by any means, so we made our way back to our 45 footer and left with a really bad taste. Disgusting to say the least in so far as the staff. The place was rather dated but from what we looked at in the general area, it was quite clean. We were the only people at the Lodge apart from the three visible staff and we still wonder why we were told to take a mooring bouy when we were the only boat at the Lodge ... there were no others! So all in all .... very disappointing to say the least.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2016
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: Look before you buy!
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
3 Helpful votes
Helpful
Share
avatar-image
gi7476 wrote a review Nov 2016
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania16 contributions4 helpful votes
The Location is one of the best I've ever visited. I visited this Hotel when Jeremy was the head chef.. The food was awesome.. Will definitely love to visit again. I've heard that the property has been sold and is being renovated. Hopefully it will be the best in Whangaroa
Read more
Date of stay: December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
avatar-image
ReluctantAdvisor wrote a review Oct 2016
Poole, UK10 contributions20 helpful votes
This hotel is situated in one of the best locations I have ever stayed in. However, even with this competitive advantage, the hotel is terrible. As opposed to giving the owners a public grilling I have instead decided to offer some advice. Here is my 5 point plan which, if implemented, will make your hotel passable. 1. Buy some sun beds and parasols. At the moment there is nowhere to relax. You insist your guests stay for three nights (a rule I would seriously question) but if the old kayaks are being used then, if you want to enjoy the view, you are restricted to perching on a chair outside your room which you share with your neighbour (ours was a chain smoker). I'm currently writing this review under a flickering light outside your bar, unfortunately the view is obscured by overgrown shrubs and the waves cannot be heard over the loud humming fridge. I would move but my wife needs to stay here to 'benefit' from the intermittent/non-existent wifi so we can rebook a hotel for tomorrow night (we managed to twist the owners arm to release us from our last nights stay). 2. Clear the path to the look out and make this a feature. It is a really beautiful spot but we only knew to explore there as we saw it on the way in. Also, to get there the only path is past your dumping ground/rubbish tip - clear this and put up a sign. 3. Make a welcome pack. If your staff are too busy to greet your guests on arrival then you need to write a welcome pack. Where should guests relax (point them to your newly built areas), where can they take the kayaks to, walks, activities, wifi (get this working), boat times etc. 4. Retrain\train staff and get a new chef. I would guess that no one you employ has ever worked in a mid-range hotel. They need to learn how to talk to guests. 5. Add flexibility to the boat taxi. At the moment you charge $50 extra per person to leave or enter your hotel outside the times of 10.45am and 5.15pm. This is incredibly restrictive. Either strike a better deal with the boat taxi or buy a small boat and do it yourself. This huge restriction and charge should be extremely clear on your website, at the moment it is not. This hotel has the potential to be fantastic, but it needs a huge amount of work. I hope you find my plan helpful. When completed send me a message and I will give you point 6 to 10.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2016
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Share
avatar-image
David M wrote a review Apr 2016
Daventry, United Kingdom84 contributions22 helpful votes
It was not the first time we had been here, having spent a lazy sunny afternoon here in the 1990s. Things have changed though. You still need to get the Whangaroa water taxi to get in and out and the trip across this historic stretch of water is in itself a treat. The welcome, however, is not so warm and the service could be better. The current menu would probably give Gordon Ramsay a stroke. There are "humorous" ( but not funny ) pictures in the loos and overpriced wines available. The new decor points the way to a brash corporate new world when a ambience which was more at ease with itself would be more in keeping. Author and big game fisherman Zane Gray came here once but one can't help thinking he wouldn't touch it now with a boat hook. This place needs a real rethink in my view - it has bags of potential and could be one of the top ten restaurants in the North Island.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from SINZ, Manager at Kingfish Lodge
Responded 19 May 2016
Well David One cannot please everyone… Did you stay or were you a casual visitor? At the end of the season a simple all day bar menu was offered which appealed to most for snacks and lunches. Our functions menu and evening set meals were popular throughout the season with our chefs offering a new three course meal every night with choice of 2 entrees 2 mains and 2 desserts, thus guests staying 2-3 nights did not have to work through a menu. Guests with longer stays were also offered personal cheffing options where food was prepared and cooked to their wishes. Special diets were catered for every night. (vegan, gluten free and vegetrarian) Wines? Well which planet do you come from? Wines from $10-15 per glass, and bottles from $27? Price points are similar or less to most establishments in NZ. Most wines under $44 per bottle…. A great selection of local wines (#7) and all other mostly NZ wines tempted most palettes. Why did you not comment at the time of your visit to any of our team? Just as well we are all different as your sense of humor is certainly that. Over the years many an adult, parent, grandparent, child has remarked and enjoyed a little snigger over the retro images and delightful pictorial comments. Sorry you did not 'get' any of them! Regarding your welcome from the water taxi - well we greet all in-house guests on arrival and escort them to their rooms. Casual lunch diners arrive with various transfers as provided by the fabulous local Whangaroa Harbour Tours. It is not possible to greet all these casual or unplanned arrivals, or where the water taxi has a change to schedule. Sometimes with functions and group bookings where 10-12 guests arrive at once it can also be a less desirable way of welcoming and directing guests to their rooms. But this aside, thankyou for drawing this to our attention. (PS: I will not repeat what one of our former staff has just emailled and commented about you)
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
avatar-image
LukeSki wrote a review Apr 2016
Whangarei Heads, New Zealand18 contributions7 helpful votes
Fantastic few days showing this little gem to a good friend of ours from USA. Service, comfort and setting are ideal. The expceriance was what we hoped for and more. Chef cooked our snapper for our lunch, less than an hour from when we pulled them aboard. Magic place to wake up to, and nothing like hauling in a few kingies before breakfast. piece of kiwiana right there!
Read more
Date of stay: April 2016
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from SINZ, Manager at Kingfish Lodge
Responded 19 May 2016
Thankyou Luke for taking the time to comment on Tripadvisor. Your words of encouragement are appreciated by our team. Yes, having Kingfish being caught 200m from your room is quite an experience. Sadly Kingfish Lodge has sold, and is closed to the public for the time-being. Kindest regards The former KFL team
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
avatar-image
Hayden P wrote a review Apr 2016
19 contributions2 helpful votes
The view, service, food and most importantly fishing are exquisite. Love it, third year in a row. Catching a few kingies literally 200 metres from your room, coming back and enjoying a few beers while the chef prepares your catch is a rare experience. Get amongst.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from SINZ, Former owner/manager at Kingfish Lodge
Responded 19 May 2016
You had a ball Hayden and the Kingfish obliged for you this visit. Thanks from all of the KFL team for your written feedback.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
avatar-image
D P wrote a review Apr 2016
Wellington, New Zealand6695 contributions740 helpful votes
Peace and tranquility, perfect break for a wedding, business conference or romantic getaway. Nestled into its own private bay with wonderful look out points, this is true bliss. Little to mainly no cell phone coverage and minimal internet only from the main area it's perfect for getting rid of all distractions. Small but clean bedrooms with stunning views and delicious food and wonderful staff this place is a little gem.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from SINZ, former owner and manager at Kingfish Lodge
Responded 19 May 2016
Our team totally agree thankyou, and we all collectively call the location 'our own little bit of paradise'. A big thankyou from us all
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
avatar-image
ian203 wrote a review Mar 2016
Lytham St Anne's, United Kingdom46 contributions34 helpful votes
We had lunch with friends who live locally and who raved about the place. You can only get there by boat. The proprietor cocked up the arrangements with the water taxi and was v apologetic when we eventually arrived and gave us a bottle of excellent rose. The position of and views from the terrace where we ate are hard to beat.There are plenty of photographs of the place and they speak for themselves. The food was excellent but the most remarkable thing was, and I know this is going to sound crazy, they served the best chips I have ever eaten. Don't get the wrong impression by the reference to chips, the food is fairly high end. Not inexpensive but very good value. If I ever find myself in this part of the world again this will be a must visit restayrant.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2016
Value
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from SINZ, former owner at Kingfish Lodge
Responded 22 May 2016
Thanks for your comments and yes we were happy to oblige with a comp refreshment as the water taxi timings were sometimes irregular due to the recent death of the proprietor. The three skippers did a wonderful job in the following months and sometimes there could be a glitch in communicating movements for casual (non in-house) visitors. Yes those beer battered fries are probably the best you can source, and made a wonderful part of the all day snack menu!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
avatar-image
Braveheart14 wrote a review Mar 2016
Karikari Peninsula, New Zealand98 contributions74 helpful votes
After hearing great things about Kingfish Lodge from friends who had stayed there some years back we were looking forward to our stay between Christmas and New Year. There's no doubt that the setting is simply superb, however that's where the amazement stopped. For $500 per night the rooms were very average, the jetty was badly damaged, the food in both the bar and restaurant were just not up to par. What also amazed me was the fact that the only fish on the Restaurant menu was Mahimahi....what about all the great local fish? Also the area has some magnificant local wineries ( Marsden Estate and Ake Ake to name two ), yet where were the local wines at Kingfish Lodge? Most of the staff seem confused as to what their jobs were, resulting in poor service. So overall great setting, but we won't be back.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Previous
123456
Not the right property for you?
There are more places to choose from in the Whangaroa area.
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandNorthland RegionWhangaroa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

Claim Your Listing

KINGFISH LODGE - Hotel Reviews & Price Comparison (Whangaroa) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Kingfish Lodge
Which popular attractions are close to Kingfish Lodge?
Nearby attractions include Whangaroa Harbour (5.8 km), Taupo Bay Beach (5.1 km), and St Paul's Rock (4.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Kingfish Lodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at Kingfish Lodge?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Kingfish Lodge?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
Are pets allowed at Kingfish Lodge?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Does Kingfish Lodge offer any business services?
Yes, guests have access to a business centre and conference facilities during their stay.