ECHO Explorers Bingo

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Waipaopao (Anzac Bay) is a stunning Echo Explorer Bingo location for the 2026 ECHO Walking Festival, offering little adventurers plenty of places to roam, discover and explore. From the moment you arrive, the bay opens up a world of natural treasures – sparkling water, rocky edges, shady nooks and pockets of wildlife all waiting to be found.

Kids can wander up the historic headland of Te Kura a Maia for big views and hidden bingo treasures, head around the coastline to the picturesque Shelley Bay, or duck under the pohutukawa-draped trees at either end of the beach to hunt for their bingo items. With so many different corners to explore, Waipaopao offers a fun and varied adventure that makes completing their bingo sheet an exciting challenge.

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The Haiku Reserve in Katikati is a peaceful and creative Echo Explorer Bingo location for the 2026 ECHO Walking Festival, inviting young explorers to slow down, look closely and discover surprises tucked along the river’s edge. This unique reserve blends nature with art, with stone haiku poems scattered throughout the pathways, creating a magical place to wander.

Kids can follow the loop tracks beside the Uretara Stream, cross the iconic footbridges, explore the grassy nooks, or search around the carved boulders to find their bingo items. Every twist in the pathway offers something new to spot, making the Haiku Reserve a calm yet exciting place for little adventurers to complete their bingo challenge.

Link to Google Map

The track leads to a small clearing beside Te Puke’s original water source. The track crosses a stream before entering the reserve. It continues through a pūriri grove to a small clearing beside Te Puke’s original water reservoir. Return via the same track.

Set among gentle ridgelines and native forest, Otawa Scenic Reserve is a wonderful Echo Explorer Bingo spot for 2026 — a place where little adventurers can roam, explore and enjoy a slice of Bay of Plenty nature. The reserve covers roughly 400 hectares of predominantly lowland forest, home to native trees like tawa and rewarewa.  

With several track options — from a short, easy walk to the reservoir clearing via Manoeka Road, to longer ridge climbs up toward the trig — there’s something for every level of family explorer.   Whether you stroll along the forested paths, peer around the stream crossings, or explore among the trees and clearings, Otawa provides a rich natural backdrop for kids to seek out their bingo items under forest canopy and beside native bush.