Northland And The Bay Of Islands – World Travel https://www.worldtraveldb.com Tours the world Mon, 04 May 2009 09:21:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Whangarei District Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/whangarei-district-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Mon, 04 May 2009 09:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=508 To truly experience this area you have to be prepared to get wet. Beach after clear- watered beach offers munificent opportunities for swimming, surfing or just splashing about. Consequently the hot spots heave with Kiwi holidaymakers at peak times, but even then it’s possible to find isolated stretches of sand where your footprints are the only ones.

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If you’re reading this and you’re a diving fanatic, drop everything and head to Tutukaka immediately. The neighbouring Poor Knights Islands are considered one of the world’s top diving spots.

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]]> Whangarei Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/whangarei-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Sun, 03 May 2009 08:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=507 On the pretty-to-ugly continuum Whangarei sits somewhere in the middle. But beauty is never far away and there are plenty of attractive natural and artistic things to keep you distracted in Northland’s gateway. You may be pleasantly surprised by the interesting choice of eateries and the general ‘going off’-ness of the bars on a Saturday night. The city centre has an inordinate number of hairdressers and parking lots – although the standard of coiffure or car isn’t noticeably different from the Kiwi average.

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]]> Waipu And Bream Bay Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/waipu-and-bream-bay-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=488 Generations of Kiwi kids have giggled over the name ‘Waipu’; the makers of Imodium missed a golden opportunity by failing to adopt it as their product’s brand name for the NZ market. Be that as it may, Waipu and neighbouring Waipu Cove are bonny wee places.

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The original 940 British settlers came from Scotland via Nova Scotia (Canada) between 1853 and 1860. These dour Scots at least had the good sense to eschew frigid Otago, where so many of their kindred settled, for sunnier northern climes. Their story comes to life through holograms, a short film and interactive displays at the Waipu Museum (09-432 0746; 36 The Centre; adult/child $8/3; 9.30am-4.30pm). Only 10% of current residents are direct descendants, but there’s a big get-together on 1 January every year, when the Highland Games (09-432 1514; www.highlandgames.co.nz; adult/child $15/5), established in 1871, take place in Caledonian Park.

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]]> Tutukaka Coast And The Poor Knights Islands Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/tutukaka-coast-and-the-poor-knights-islands-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=483 If Goat Island Marine Reserve whetted your appetite, diving at the Poor Knights is the feast followed by a wafer-thin mint that might cause your stomach to explode. Apart from the natural underwater scenery, two decommissioned navy ships have been sunk nearby for divers to explore.

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Following the road northeast of Whangarei for 26km, you’ll first come to the sweet village of Ngunguru near the mouth of a broad river. Tutukaka is a kilometre further on, its marina bustling with yachts, dive crews and game-fishing boats.

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]]> The Far North Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/the-far-north-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=475 If it sounds remote, that’s because it is. The far-flung Far North is always playing second fiddle to the Bay of Islands for attention and funding, yet the subtropical tip of the North Island has more breathtaking coastline per square kilometre than anywhere but the offshore islands. Parts of the Far North are noticeably economically depressed and in places could best be described as gritty. While the ‘winterless north’ may be a popular misnomer (it was bucketing down when we visited), summers here are long and leisurely. Here’s your chance to get off the beaten track, although that often means unsealed roads.

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]]> Russell Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/russell-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=457 Although it was once known prosaically as ‘the hellhole of the Pacific’, those coming to Russell for debauchery will be sadly disappointed: they’ve missed the orgies on the beach by 170 years. Instead they’ll find a sweetly historic town that is a bastion of cafés, gift shops and B&Bs.

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Before it was known as a hellhole, or even as Russell, it was Kororareka (Sweet Penguin), a fortified Ngapuhi village. In the early 19th century the tribe permitted it to become Aotearoa’s first European settlement. It quickly became a magnet for rough elements such as fleeing convicts, whalers and drunken sailors. By the 1830s dozens of whaling ships at a time were anchored in the harbour. Charles Darwin described it in 1835 as full of ‘the refuse of society’.

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]]> Rawene Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/rawene-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=453 Founded shortly after Horeke, Rawene was NZ’s third European settlement. There is still a surprising number of historic buildings (including six churches) from a time when the harbour was considerably busier than it is now. There aren’t any ATMs or banks, but you can get petrol here.

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A heritage trail complete with information boards tours the main sights. Clendon House (09-405 7874; www.historic.org.nz; Clendon Esplanade; adult/child $5/2.50; 10am-4pm Sat-Mon Nov-Apr, 10am-4pm Mon & Tue May-Oct) was built in the bustling 1860s by James Clendon, a trader, shipowner and magistrate. After his death, his 34-year-old half-Maori widow Jane was left with a brood of kids and a whopping £5000 debt. She managed to clear the debt and her descendants remained in the house until 1972, when it passed to the Historic Places Trust.

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]]> Paihia And Waitangi Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/paihia-and-waitangi-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=443 The birthplace of NZ (as opposed to Aotearoa), Waitangi inhabits a special, somewhat complex place in the national psyche – aptly demonstrated by the mixture of celebration, commemoration, protest and apathy that accompanies the nation’s birthday (Waitangi Day, 6 February).

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It was here that the long-neglected and much-contested Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between Maori chiefs and the British Crown, establishing British sovereignty or something a bit like it, depending on whether you’re reading the English or Maori version of the document. If you’re interested in coming to grips with NZ’s history and race relations, this is the place to start.

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]]> Opononi And Omapere Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/opononi-and-omapere-northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=437 These tranquil settlements near the south head of Hokianga Harbour more or less run into one another. The water’s much clearer here and good for swimming. Views are dominated by the mountainous sand dunes across the water at North Head.

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The Hokianga i-SITE (09-405 8869; hokiangainfo@xtra.co.nz; SH12, Omapere; 8.30am-5pm) has internet access and a tiny local museum upstairs.

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]]> Northland And The Bay Of Islands New Zealand https://www.worldtraveldb.com/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands/northland-and-the-bay-of-islands-new-zealand/ Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:21:35 +0000 http://newzealand.worldtraveldb.com/?p=433 For many New Zealanders, the phrase ‘up north’ conjures up sepia-toned images of family fun in the sun, pohutukawa in bloom and dolphins frolicking in pretty bays. It’s uttered in almost hallowed tones, as if describing a mythical place. From school playgrounds to work cafeterias, owning a bach (holiday house) ‘up north’ is a passport to popularity.

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Beaches are the main drawcard and they’re present in profusion. Take your pick from surfy or sheltered, massive or minuscule, fashionable or forgotten, and from sand that’s golden, grey, pink or blindingly white. There are beaches suited to all sorts of aquatic pursuits imaginable, including splashing about in the nuddy. Visitors from more crowded countries are flummoxed to wander onto beaches without a scrap of development or another human being in sight.

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