Kara Dodson is a convert. The artist and designer lived in Auckland’s Ponsonby and Grey Lynn for over 30 years - where she helped found the legendary Moa Design store - but now calls Whangarei home. She moved to Whangarei 18 months ago and set up Tuatara, a design store where she sells an eclectic range of Aotearoa-inspired work on the city’s main street.
Kara lives at Parua Bay, in a home she bought with her partner and 10-year-old son, Otis, on the edge of Whangarei Harbour. “I see the sunrise every morning. We live on a hill overlooking the beach, with stunning views. I wake up every day and think, “I’m the luckiest person in the world”,” she raves.
Tuatara stocks clothing, accessories, art and homeware made by New Zealand artists with an Aotearoa and Polynesian twist. Since shifting north, Kara has also stumbled upon some of Whangarei’s local artists, whose wares she now sells. Tristan Tuckey, an artist specializing in photo montage, Bonnie Galbraith, a mosaic artist and Danny Millett, a local master silversmith, all work out of Whangarei. “These artists are people you can meet when you’re up here. There is a wealth of energy and creativity coming out of Whangarei,” she says.
The shop with a gallery is a combination of all her dreams, “to stock the most beautiful things in the country”. The designer trained as an architect and describes her new job as “totally selfish”. “I just love being surrounded by beautiful things. I’m a matcher too, and I just match people with the beautiful things that they should have in their lives.”
Kara rates Whangarei and its precious beaches stretching along the coastline as “a well-kept secret”. When friends come to stay, she takes them on a day-trip to Ngawaha Springs, an hour north of the city. Another favourite spot is Pataua South, boasting an estuary safe enough for swimming and kayaking with cockles at low tide. She recommends taking a five minute walk along the beach to “Frog town”, or over the footbridge to Pataua North, another surf beach with a surf school.
It’s difficult to stop Kara raving about the joys of her new home. She enjoys the mix of people in Whangarei, many of whom she meets through her store. While she used to think the city had “nothing going for it” before she shifted, she reflects that it is has the best features of a city, without the hassles.

The self-described city girl doesn’t have to pop back to Auckland for a good coffee - two favourite cafes, Bob and Fresh, make a flat white that rivals those served on Ponsonby Road. “Everything is so central here and you don’t get stuck in traffic. There are only a couple of sets of traffic lights,” she laughs.
This enthusiastic woman who is fulfilling her dreams adds: “Everyone should think about what they love doing best and pursue their passion.”