22/05/2023
The name is something of a misnomer, as Ninety Mile Beach is actually 55 miles long. However, this fact doesn't stop this vast strip of golden sand, about 170 kilometers north from Paihia, from being one of the most serenely beautiful beaches in the North Island, with large sand dune areas and excellent surfing conditions.
22/05/2023
A great way to experience the best of the Bay of Islands is aboard a coastal cruise. One of the most popular such excursions is the first-rate Bay of Islands tall ship sailing experience aboard the R. Tucker Thompson. This exquisite reproduction Northland schooner departs from the Point Russell Information Centre in Russel, and whisks travelers across the waves on a fun-filled, 5.5-hour seafaring adventure, taking in such popular sightseeing spots as Pahia and including a stop for a swim in a secluded bay.
22/05/2023
North of the Bay of Islands is the Northland region's other big tourist attraction: the northern tip of New Zealand at Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet and surge together. This slither of land jutting out into the sea is marked by a lonely lighthouse and a sacred 800-year-old pohutukawa tree. According to Maori legend, the tree is where the spirits of the dead jump off to journey back to the Maori ancestral home of Hawaiki.
22/05/2023
Like the more famous cave system of Waitomo, located in the central North Island, the Kawiti Caves are home to New Zealand's tiny endemic glow worms, which spotlight the cave's ceilings and walls with thousands of twinkling lights.
22/05/2023
The Waipoua Forest is home to New Zealand's most famous stand of kauri trees. These include the mighty Tane Mahuta kauri-the Lord of the Forest -which is more than 2,000 years old and, at 47 meters tall, is the largest living kauri tree in the country. Also here is the Te Matua Ngahere kauri with its mammoth trunk measuring more than five meters.
22/05/2023
Paihia is the main base-town of the Bay of Islands, offering plenty of opportunities to get out onto the waters of the Bay of Islands Maritime Park, with Paihia wharf the main jumping-off point for dolphin and whale-watching trips and scenic sightseeing cruises around the islands of the bays.
22/05/2023
History fans shouldn't miss a visit to the Pompallier Mission when in Russell. This old Roman Catholic mission station was founded in 1842, and the pioneer missionaries used it as their base to translate biblical texts into Maori. Here, they printed and binded the books using the mission's own printing press and tannery.
22/05/2023
Russell, originally called Kororareka, is one of New Zealand's quaintest towns. Founded in 1843 as a whaling station and trading post, much of its original character preserved. Due to the town's early foundations, it contains some of the country's most historic buildings.
22/05/2023
For New Zealanders, the history of their modern nation begins at Waitangi. This is where, in 1840, the founding document of the country known as the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the chiefs of the Maori tribes and the British crown. Today, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is New Zealand's most important historic site.
22/05/2023
Extending from Whangaruru in the south to Whangaroa in the north, the Bay of Islands Maritime Park is a glittering blue swath of warm coastal waters, scattered with 144 islands and home to dolphins and whales. This sub-tropical watery playground is the main reason travelers head north from Auckland.