The Rangataua Room
Named for the tidal arm of the harbour behind the hotel, which empties to sandflats twice a day and fills again on its own schedule. One room, sixty-two machines, nine tables, and a door that closes at three.
One room among many
The gaming lounge occupies the eastern half of level two. It is 440 square metres, has a ceiling of pressed timber, and — unusually for a room of its kind — it has windows. They face Pilot Bay. You can see the tide, and the light, and whether it has started raining.
That was a deliberate decision when the hotel was rebuilt in 2012, and it is the reason the room reads as part of a resort rather than a place apart. Casino entertainment at Tidal Veranda sits alongside the restaurant, the spa and the beach, not in place of them. Most guests never come in. Those who do are welcome for an hour after dinner or for the length of an evening.
Entry is free. There is no membership, no card to sign up for, and no obligation to be staying in the hotel — though house guests get in first on New Year's Eve, which is the one night the room reaches capacity.
- Floor area440 m², level two
- EntryFree · no membership
- Minimum age20 · photo ID required
- CurrencyNew Zealand dollars only
What is on the floor
Nine tables and sixty-two machines. Table minimums are posted on a board by the cashier and change through the week; the numbers below are the usual weekday floor.
Slot machines
Modern video slots, a bank of eleven classic three-reel machines that we keep because people ask for them, and four linked progressives. Denominations from five cents.
Blackjack
Four blackjack tables, six decks, dealer stands on soft seventeen. Two open at noon and the other two from six in the evening, or earlier if the first two fill.
Roulette
Two single-zero wheels, both live-dealt, both with an electronic display that nobody entirely trusts and everybody reads. Minimums from NZ$5 on the outside.
Poker
Two tables running Texas hold'em from seven in the evening, Thursday through Sunday. A friendly Thursday game has been going since 2014 and takes new players without ceremony.
Baccarat & live gaming
One baccarat table, dealt live, opening at six. All nine of our table games are dealt by a person standing in front of you — there are no automated tables in the room.
VIP gaming
A private salon off the main floor: two tables, twelve seats, higher limits, its own service. Named after the point at the southern tip of Matakana Island. Reserved in advance through the Duty Manager.
Two mentions, and then we will stop
Everything on this page happens in one room on level two of a hotel in Mount Maunganui. We operate no remote or interactive gambling service of any kind — no site, no application, nothing you can reach from a sofa — and we never will. If you find a website offering games in our name, it is not us: please tell the front desk.
Before you come up
The lift to level two needs no key. The entrance is on the eastern side, past The Long Veranda, and there is always someone standing in it.
Hours
- Sunday to Thursday12:00pm – 2:00am
- Friday and Saturday12:00pm – 3:00am
- Christmas DayClosed
- Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac morningClosed until 1pm
Entry requirements
- Minimum age20 years
- Accepted IDNZ driver licence, passport, Kiwi Access Card
- DressSmart casual after 6pm
- PhotographyNot permitted on the floor
The short version
Smart casual from six in the evening. That means no hi-vis, no bare feet, no beachwear — you are two hundred metres from the sand and we do have to say it. Before six we are relaxed about all of that, within reason.
We ask that mobile phones stay off the tables and that nobody photographs the room. Both rules exist for the privacy of other guests and both are enforced politely, once.
Intoxicated guests are not served and are not admitted. The bar in the room stops serving alcohol at 2:30am on Friday and Saturday, half an hour before the room closes.
Nobody under twenty, ever
Not to play, not to watch, not to walk through on the way to somewhere else. This is a legal requirement under the Gambling Act 2003 and it is the one rule we will never bend, for anyone, including guests staying in the penthouse.
- Cash machines on the floorNone
- Credit or lendingNever offered
- Water, tea, coffeeFree, always
- ClocksVisible from every table
The room is supposed to be an evening, not a problem
Every member of gaming staff completes host responsibility training within one month of starting and again every year. They are trained to notice the signs — long unbroken sessions, chasing, distress — and to start a quiet conversation about it. Self-exclusion is available at any time, in writing, confidentially, and can be arranged in ten minutes with the Duty Manager.
Gambling Helpline 0800 654 655 · Need to talk? 1737 · Problem Gambling Foundation 0800 664 262 · free text 8006
Stay the night rather than drive home
The simplest reason to book a room is that you will not be driving anywhere afterwards. Our stay-and-play package includes a room, breakfast at Moturiki for two and a NZ$50 gaming credit that can only be used on the floor.
- Reception+64 7 575 2840
- Gaming enquiries[email protected]
- The Panepane SalonBy arrangement, 48 hours ahead
- Parking74 spaces under the building