[HelenandPhil]

Hello everyone,

We are hiring a camper van for 2 weeks on arrival in October for some well earned R&R before we start our new life in Hamilton:clap

We are thinking about covering the area North of Auckland, maybe up the East coast and back down the West? to drop the van off back in the City.

We have never visited NZ before so....

Any must see tourist attractions?
Any off the beaten track places you locals know about?;)
any suggestions on routes?
recommended campsites?
recommended activities?
recommended eateries?
tips on campervaning?

Cheers:cheers

[kanatakiwi]

I love the area north of Auckland. Matakana area is beautiful, a drive over to Pakiri Beach would be great, and there is camping there. also east of Whangerei, out by Tutukaka there is some lovely windy roads that go through little communities and bays.
here are a couple of suggestions from Kerry S. elsewhere on this site ( a thread called things todo in the NOrth Island) --great photos there but most are of places south of Auckland)
Kerry S. says:
My fave place is Tawharanui, just north of Auckland. http://www.arc.govt.nz/auckland-regi...tawharanui.cfm
I go there quite a lot to surf and chill out. (It's about 90 mins north of Auckland.)

For a really quiet and empty site try Urutiti, which is a DOC site near Whangarei. It is just a field with a couple of long drops, but I love camping there as it's right on the beach and has amazing views over the Hen and Chicken Islands.

[Oregonkiwi]

You might like to take the Twin Coast Discovery Highway
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/driving-routes/themed-highways/twin-coast-highway/twin-coast-highway.cfm

or this route
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/driving-routes/auckland-kaitaia-auckland.cfm

and make sure you see some kauri:
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/sights-activities/scenic-highlights/parks-reserves/scenic-highlight-details.cfm/businessid/63640/searchcontext/0.html

There's so much great stuff to see in Northland :nice1

[marcia]

Cathedral cove is lovely. You have to park up and walk for about 30 mins to the beach. But it is well worth it.

Also Driving creek railway up the coromandel is amazing, even if you not interested in railways, the views are fantastic, and to think it was one guys vision, and he laid every peice of track himself!! Theres a good top ten camp site not far away too, Shelly Beach.

[Tia Maria]

Its only just north of Auckland but I would have to suggest starting your trip in Devonport of course! :D

Its a lovely place to have brunch and you can either drive or walk to the top of Mount Victoria for a great view, to check what's on:

http://devonportdirectory.co.nz/

www.devonport.co.nz/

Some useful newsletters you can sign up for which will tell you what's on in Auckland and the North Shore:

www.northshorecity.govt.nz (look under the citylife section its called shorelife email newsletter)

www.aucklandcity.tx.co.nz/go/to/subscribe (Its the Ak@Play one)

I think they are weekly and tell you about all the extra things going on in addition to the normal tourist things.

I've not been to this place myself but a lot of people say it makes a great alternative to stopping at a service station!

www.honeycentre.co.nz

A great place to stop if you need the loo on the way up to Paihia:

www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/Hundertwasser-Toilets.html

You can easily spend a couple of days in Paihia, whether it be at the treaty grounds:

www.waitangi.net.nz

A boat to see the Hole in the Rock or watch dolphins

www.dolphincruises.co.nz/holerock.php

or the more thrill seeking version:

www.excitor.co.nz

A lot of the boat activities are weather dependent so factor that into your plans. If you only allow one day to see dolphins and its stormy then you'll miss out.

If you haven't already found it check out this site:

www.northlandnz.com

Be warned you will encounter lots of windy roads, up and down hills so the driving can take a bit longer than it looks on the map. (It can be a bit hard on those who get travel sick also!)

Have fun!

Cheers

Tia

[Nick88]

I have lived in Northland for the last 9 years or so, and I can agree with everything already said.

The twin coast highway route is lovely, and I can also recommend taking State Highway 16 out of Auckland and joining SH 1 further north. However if green faces can be a problem stick to SH 1 the whole way. The Kauri tree on the Dargaville side called Tane Mahuta is very impressive, but the road is windy. If this becomes a problem or time is a bit tight then see the trees in Pukeiti forest near Kerikeri, they are just as impressive (not as big, but more numerous) and don't require as much driving. One thing that is on this route that I strongly recommend is the Kauri Museum in Matakohe, it appears at first to be a bit ramshackle but it is absolutely fascinating.

http://www.kauri-museum.com/

Paihia is definitely the activity centre of the North. Try and arrange things so that you are here when the weather is good, virtually everything to do here is best done in good weather.

Kerikeri is more a place where local live, and old Aucklanders go to die. There is almost no sea access here so there are no trips or activities based here. There are however lots of nice cafes and things like the Makana chocolate factory to visit, so it is quite gentrified. A good place to go if the weather is not playing along.

Another favourite is the Mangonui Fish Shop, which does some of the best fush and chups in the area. Make sure you do not arrive at the same time as the Cape Reinga buses that run from Paihia (5-6pm), or you will be waiting at the bar for ages. Actually it might be worth taking a Cape Reinga bus from Paihia rather than driving yourself (unless you intend to stay further North for a couple of days), it is a really long drive and the buses drive along the beach and do things like dune surfing and visiting a marae which is not easy to do on your own.

There is not alot in Whangarei to write home about (the Tutukaka coast is pretty). You can get most things in the shops there. Sadly there is even less in Dargaville.

Northland is mostly agricultural and the majority of the towns are service towns for the local farms. Paihia is the stand alone exception, it is a tourist town. Imagine the South West of England about 50 years ago. I like Northland very much, but then I do live here.

[HelenandPhil]

WOW!!!:clap

So much to do so little time.....we need to get reading!

Thanks for all of your replies, we are so grateful for all the information on this board it makes everythjing so much easier:nice1

[Mike & Nicola]

Matai bay
Matauri bay
Taupo bay
90 mile beach/ahipara

dont forget piha, karekare, bethalls and muriwai just west of Aucks

Have fun, its all good!

[Nick88]

Those are all just beaches, and have absolutely no services in most cases. There is a caravan park on Matauri bay which is lovely in the summer (avoid the school holidays).

When campervanning join the Top10 Parks card scheme, you get a discount in all of the affiliated parks of about 10%, so it takes only a couple of night to get the cost of joining back. Top 10s are generally the best quality ones you will find. They are not in all areas, though.

www.top10.co.nz

[Tia Maria]

The Hodges - Bump! The toilets just for you!

Cheers

Tia

PS I have PM'd you!

[Familyofmonkeys]

The Whangaparoa peninsula has some lovely scenic beaches that are nice to visit. We have found some nice little cafes around the area too, in case you are a bit peckish.

[HelenandPhil]

We are here at last!:raebanana

Picked up the campervan in Aukland (during a hail storm!) and now working our way North trying not to miss all the sights listed on this thread.

Only 4 days into our new life but so far we are lovin it!

Off to do some tramping now then maybe fush and chups for tea!

Thanks to everyone for the info and advice on this forum, it made the whole process so much smoother:cheers

[The Hodges]

We've just got back from our trip up to Bay and Islands and Northland and we're skimming the last seven pages of unread posts. We'll post some piccies in the next few days, but we had a great time.

[The Hodges]

Well we've been to the Far North and it was great. We'd thought we'd share some of the things we found, just in case anyone else was heading up that way.

First of all, we used SH1 as far as Brynderwyn and then we headed up SH12. We didn't stop at Dargaville, but headed up to the Kaiiwi Lakes (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=kaiiwi+lakes&sll=-35.755428,173.457642&sspn=1.615951,2.554321&ie=UTF8&ll=-35.81837,173.706207&spn=0.201835,0.31929&t=k&z=12&iwloc=A&om=1)

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/kaiiwilakes.jpg

Apparently it is a very popular picnic and camping spot. There's three lakes, which get used for swimming, boating and fishing. It's a great spot and very picturesque.

We then travelled further north up SH12 and stopped off at the Waipoua Forest Lookout (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=waipoua+forest&sll=-35.679888,173.61866&sspn=0.202186,0.31929&ie=UTF8&ll=-35.652833,173.549309&spn=0.202255,0.31929&t=h&z=12&iwloc=addr&om=1), but a bit further up is Tane Mahuta, a giant Kauri and about half an hour round walk from the carpark.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/TaneMahuta.jpg

Definitely worth a visit.

[The Hodges]

We stayed in Paihia and found it a great central base to explore.

We visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. There's a twenty minute video that shows on the hour and half past the hour, in a room adjacent to the entrance. It gives a insight in to the history behind the cultures and the signing of the treaty. It explained it pretty well and once you've watch the video, you don't really need a guide to show you around the grounds.

[The Hodges]

We had to do the dolphin and Hole in the Rock tour too, we even got to see a seal on a rock.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/dolphins.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/seal.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/holeintherock.jpg

We went on the half day tour, but the full day tour allows you to swim with the dolphins and also a picnic on a beach (which I think you have to take yourself - but you'd be best off checking).

It was a top tour and great fun, but if you want to be able to swim with the dolphins, check with the tour operator if they offer it. Also, we were pretty lucky, as several boats left within a quarter on an hour of each other and one was crammed with people.

[The Hodges]

We also did Ninety Mile Beach, which (IMHO, but the OH enjoyed it) after the first couple of miles gets a bit tendious, so my recommendation is that, if you have a four wheel drive, drive between Ahipera and Waipapakauri Beach. Also, once the sand gets lodged in the wheel rims, it throws out the balancing of the wheels and makes the car shake... :roll

Still, the sand dunes at Te Paki are good fun, although it was knackering to climb for 10 mins, only for it to be over in 10 seconds.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/sanddunes.jpg

And our advice, take sunnies (to keep the sand out), keep your mouth closed and hang on. Oh, yes, take sun cream. In the dunes it gets sheltered from the wind and it gets very hot.

If you don't have body boards, you can hire them there.

And up at Cape Reinga,

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/capereinga.jpg

London is only 18029 kms away...

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/London.jpg

But the meaning of the place to the Maori wasn't lost to us. Very peaceful and calm, although you can clearly see where the Tasman and Pacific meet.

[The Hodges]

We recommend a visit to the Karikari Penisular. Go right up to Matai Bay, which are two coves.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/MaitaiBay.jpg

There's a camp ground there, follow the signs down the gravel road and there it is.

Whangaroa is spectacular too, and there's a half hour track to the summit of St Paul's Rock, where you get fantastic views of the habour and inlets.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/StPaulsPeak.jpg

Don't forget to take your walking shoes though and there's a steep bit involving a chain as a handrail. You have been warned, but it's worth it.

[The Hodges]

And you can't go to the Far North, without visiting the Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/hunterwassertoilets.jpg

It did fool us though, as they're right on the main street. Definitely the poshest public loos we've been in. :laugh

Back down south and a stop of at Matapouri.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/tonyclarehodge/Forum/October%202007%20Holiday/Matapouri.jpg

There's loads of good bays, which are pretty popular with holiday makers. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the Poor Knights. Too cloudy/misty. When it's clear, it must be fantastic.

[The Hodges]

Anyway, we hope that this helps anyone that's intending to visit the Far North on a trip.

We haven't covered everything we did as most of it's in tourist books, but we hope that we've given you some practical advice.

:nice1

[Marie P]

Awesome photos Claire and Tony !!!

Don't you just love living here .........:clap

Marie x

PS Did you visit the Loo ???

[The Hodges]

Don't you just love living here .........:clap

Nah, it's too dirty, too crowded and just like London. ;) :D

PS Did you visit the Loo ???

Absolutely. He must had enjoyed himself emptying all of those wine bottles. No wonder he built the Loos.