With over 33,000 Honda CR-Vs registered since the model’s first debut in 1997, there’s no denying the popularity of this medium-sized SUV and for 2021, the high riding Honda has seen some radical changes.
Enough to keep it in the running? Only one way to find out – road trip. 

There was the pressing matter of a birthday trip, disrupted twice by Covid-19. An out of Auckland trip had been planned and accommodation booked (twice!) and this time, we were going, and in style with Honda’s next generation CR-V Touring 2WD. 

The Touring grade effectively replaces the S and the Active models from the last generation and yes, ‘Touring’ is a grade we have seen before. 

Honda has taken its entry level CR-V and given it a major overhaul, introducing equipment levels and features which take the description ‘entry level’ and bat it right out of the ballpark. 

In fact, the entire Honda CR-V range (now four) has been well consolidated and seems to blur into one another, suggesting Honda has the formula for what makes a good SUV great neatly sewn up.

Timing prevented a full-blown family getaway, which was a shame since the CR-V update for 2021 seems to have included an increase in inner-space, but with just two of us, it was a more than comfortable trip. 

Load out was easy with our gear neatly handled by the 522 litres of cargo space. While we could have luxuriated in the 1717 litres of space by dropping the seats, it didn’t seem right and besides, I had developed a fondness for the sophisticated look of the cabin in its 5-seat configuration.  

So we set off from West Auckland at a very leisurely pace and the CR-V Touring was certainly living up to its name, munching up miles of straight line motorway which eventually gave way to the coastal roads of Maraetai, which is next to my left eye! Sorry, I’m conditioned to deliver Dad jokes even though my kids weren’t with us. We eventually came to our first significant stop: the scenic – as long as the tide is in – shoreline of Kawakawa Bay.

Kawakawa Bay is the perfect place for a pitstop. Public restrooms, a play area, and a corner dairy (Kiwiana old school) are able to supply everything from casual snacks to essential supplies. Then you can take a gentle leg-stretch stroll looking out to Karamuramu Island.

Karamuramu is owned by the McCallum family and has been since 1894 when Sir John Logan Campbell sold it to them. The 16-acre island is mostly quarry which mines McCallum Chip – a red, fine grain rock composed of quartz crystals used in decorative concrete. 

But this isn’t earth-science, this is a road test, and with drinks in the cupholders, the Kawakawa-Orere road is an excellent place to see what a car – or in this case, an SUV – can do.

Tight, twisty, off camber, shale-centred 25km/h corners give high riding SUVs a bit of a hard time on shadow/sun dappled bush-lined blacktop, but the CR-V’s low centre of gravity and just the right amount of wheelbase which has served Honda’s flagship SUV so well in recent generations, really came into its own. 

Hondas typically have flat cornering characteristics – regardless of model – but the CR-V redefines handling even by Honda’s standards, especially under hard cornering.

The twistie’s eventually bring you out with beautiful views of the Firth of Thames, but just before you skirt the western shoreline and the Seabird Coast proper, take a straight ahead road leading to Tapapakanga Regional Park.

This is a little-known park with gambolling lambs, ducks and a few campervans in the picnic area at the end of the road. 

The end of the road is also home to the historic Ashby homestead built in 1900. The homestead became a school after the 10th Ashby child was born! 

There are plenty of walking tracks through the park, but sadly, not suited to excursions via Honda SUVs, so we were shortly back on the road. 

The CR-V just munched up the miles along the Seabird Coast, passing through Kaiaua like another gentle sea breeze, ticking over quietly at the manufacturer’s claimed 7.3 litres per 100km. 

A note on this: the CR-V Touring gets to its posted fuel figure very quickly but can be squeezed down below the posted figure for reasonably consistent periods due mostly to Honda’s efficient Earth Dreams engine and transmission combination. 

Honda enjoyed a little flirtation with various engine options on the CR-V, but for 2021 has consolidated the offering to a 1.5-litre DOHC VTEC, direct-injected and turbocharged power plant. 

The turbo is a gentle one, so don’t be expecting something Vin Diesel would pick for the next Fast and Furious movie. In fact, the turbo operation is such that you have to be told it’s there, suggesting that Honda has fuel efficiency in mind. 

After all, a VTEC Turbo can be used to keep Mr Diesel very competitive, but that is part of the genius of VTEC; it can be tuned to suit the application, and in the CR-V the application is smooth touring.

Honda does persist – as do many others – with continuously variable transmissions, but again, unless you know its there, it won’t bother you too much. 

It doesn’t have the constant shouting match between the engine’s “I’m waiting up here!” with the transmission’s “alright alright already, gimme a break here,” so characteristic of many CVT’s.

Rather the 140kW powerhouse negotiates peaceably with the CVT and the two of them just get on with providing a refined and extremely efficient driving experience. 

And that little technical interlude took us off SH1 onto SH2 and into Ngatea – home to a number of eateries and watering holes, all of which are recommended. 

The one I hadn’t tried, though was the Glory Café, (previously the Copper Kettle), and this seemed to be a perfect excuse. 

You’ll find a decent collection of what you would expect of a busy café in terms of blackboard menu and cabinet items. A little pricey on the blackboard menu, but the serving sizes looked good. 

Recommended? Yes, but if the line of customers is out the door and you want something quick, there are other options which you should probably take. Olympic Café is a good bet for something substantial – plenty of early morning truckie trade. 

Ngatea is that last bit of civilisation before the metropolis that is Paeroa – home of the big bottle. 

Paeroa has more fish and chipperies than any town I’ve ever worked in, and all of them are good. 

Paeroa’s other claim to fame is its being the gateway to the fantabulously scenic Karangahake Gorge, and while there was a pang at passing up an hour or so at Bullswool Farm – a lovely little petting zoo off to the left just before the Gorge – there were places we had to be.   

The K Gorge road runs alongside the Ohinemuri river. A changeable river this, with rapids and swimming holes for seals, whales and other blubber laden individuals. I went swimming there and saw no signs of Greenpeace trying to push me back out to sea, so….   

About halfway through the Gorge, there’s a bridge to the right which will take you past the walking track to the ruins of the mining operations, but also up to a very aggressive T-junction onto the old Tauranga road which bypasses Waihi. 

If you fork right here a delightful country road will eventually direct you to Dickey Flats Road which becomes gravel – easy gravel even for a 2WD CR-V – through native bushland until you reach the DoC campgrounds at the end of the road. 

The campground is pretty basic, but in addition to (long-drop bathroom facilities) here, its peaceful and has the Waitawheta river – good for trout apparently – running alongside.

The whole scene brought back happy childhood camping memories for my lady navigator (As a child I called ‘camping’ staying in four-star hotels; yeah! really roughing it). 

We reversed course and found our way back to SH2, but as we made our way onto Katikati, a sign caught my eagle eye (which seems to be connected to my stomach). The Pancake House at Athenree was OPEN! 

Home also to a lavender shop, the Athenree Pancake house is effectively a Lockwood lodge accommodating 35 diners and specialising in – what else – pancakes! 

If you can catch the Pancake House open make sure you are hungry, and curious to try pancakes with slightly intriguing toppings: the maple walnut for instance, which actually has walnut bits in it. Well worth the stop!   

We pushed on to Tauranga where we found our accommodation: Top of the Town, actually the penthouse of the Kingsview Tower at the Mt Maunganui end of Cameron Road. 

If you use Booking.com, you’ll find my recommendation there but it won’t do the place justice. Leo and Jenny are the perfect hosts and will be on hand as you arrive to guide you through the ins and outs of AirBnB life – something I could easily get used to. 

Leo and Jenny have the entire top floor and when guests have booked, their living space is effectively halved. Guests have a view back towards Katikati over Tauranga’s inland bay which provides gorgeous sunsets and afternoon warmth. 

Don’t sit in the loungers until Leo or Jenny have left; you’ll be having a Dad nap in seconds! The open plan lounge and dining is serviced by a coffee machine and a selection of teas, and a fridge well-stocked with bread, milk and other Continental breakfast condiments. 

The bedroom is massive and has a gloriously oversized double bed. There is a ceiling fan for summer month stays and then ... there is the bathroom. 

An all-in-one affair, the bathroom is almost as big – if not the same size  – as the bedroom,  accommodating a corner spa bath, and one of the best pressure and temperature controlled showers I’ve been in. 

There is a vanity across the room from the shower and, to give you some idea of the room’s size, I could have a hot shower and shave my head at the same time while being able to see myself in the mirror without the mirror steaming up. No photos of this, use your imagination… 

And because you probably want that picture out of your mind, I will say that I was torn between the exquisite appointment of the accommodation and the magnificent view. 

Having chillaxed for a bit, we soon worked out it was dinner time so we left the CR-V relaxing in the hotel car park and headed into town on foot. 

Dinner is a problem in downtown Tauranga; there is so much to choose from. We eventually found a restaurant called MoMo Teppan-Yaki where your food is cooked on a griddle in front of you. 

It’s normally quite a showy business, but head chef Tony explains his family business prefers to demonstrate the quality and excellence in the food rather than the flash, in the same way Honda likes to demonstrate distinction in the drive rather than the doohickies. 

Both MoMo Teppan-Yaki and Honda do themselves proud with this approach and when it comes to value for money and customer satisfaction again, both go well beyond expectations. 

The following day saw us bid Leo and Jenny a fond farewell, but there was a stop to make before heading back: Tauranga airport where the Classic Flyers museum is a standout attraction. 

Arguably one of the best aviation museums in the country, there is fun for all-comers regardless of age. 

Under 5s have an array of sit in and pedal planes, bigger kids and teens (I’m a bigger kid than most) can clamber on and sit in classic military aircraft like the F86 Sabre jet and other aircraft while grownups can wander through the museum itself, home to a P40 Kittyhawk, an A4 Skyhawk, a vampire jet and more besides. 

Out on the operational apron, you might catch a glimpse of the Stearman biplane, possibly a YAK and almost certainly a Harvard. Don’t ignore the other hangars though, volunteers are currently building a Grumman Avenger from World War 2 and there are bigger plans for bigger planes… 

Coffee and café fare are on hand and mark the end of a visit which could turn into this enthusiast putting down roots here. 

The CR-V was still on the go side of the gauge, so we farewelled Tauranga with both driver and navigator wondering what was next. 

What was next was Te Puna, a quarry garden on the left-hand side of SH2 heading north. The gardens are about a kilometre up Quarry Road with entry by donation. 

It’s a pleasant picnic spot and littlies will enjoy climbing on the stone dragon/taniwha guardian or the almost fossilised iron digger, while grown-ups enjoy the garden trails.

And then there was what was to become our last stop. 

Having never visited Omokoroa, we turned off SH2 again just a little north of Te Puna and let the CR-V wander through the township to the end of the main road which had a large turning circle as well as a boat-ramp where, coincidentally, a car ferry was just departing. 

And so we were soon headed for Matakana island, a ferry trip of $60 return, payable on the ferry. They have Eft Pos, but no credit card ability, just so you know. 

There’s not much to see on Matakana Island, so after driving to one side of it, about 10 minutes away, we decided to head back to not miss the last ferry. 

We didn’t, but our 45-minute trip turned into a 2 hour 15 one (got my money’s worth!) when the ferry got bedded on a sandbar, the first time in 19 years that this has happened. 

Apparently, a big housing development in Tauranga isn’t monitoring its silt runoff and its choking the harbour. 

After that slight misadventure, we thought it best not to press our luck and headed straight home, secure in the CR-V Touring which tours so very, very well. 

Round trip? 521kms and no refuels. Nor was I Nana driving. 

Out of 5, I’d give the CR-V Touring a 4.9, suggesting that 99 percent of owners are not going to regret their decision to buy.

PRICING