Best Side Trips
As a straight shot, it only takes just over two hours to drive from Auckland to Whangārei. But if you’re more about journeys rather than destinations, there are countless spots to stop along way. Here are three of the best.
With beaches comes surf, including at Waipu Cove Beach, where there’s plenty of parking and a busy oceanfront café, the Cove Waipu (tel. 09/432-0234) open daily from 9am until 9pm. During the summer, this is also where you can find Learn 2 Surf Waipu’s (tel. 021/719-773) kiosk set-up daily. Owners Grae and Ellen Snelling have over 15 years of experience teaching lessons and their approach makes it easy for even the uncoordinated to get up on their first go. Lessons are often available on the day-of, but it’s best to make a booking in advance. Ninety-minute groups lessons for kids are NZ$50, NZ$70 for adults 16 and up. Private lessons start at $100.
If you’re after a bit more of an adventure, drive 30 minutes inland on a gravel road and you’ll arrive at the Waipu Caves. They’re free to enter and feature stalactites, stalagmites, and glow worms, but they’re also undeveloped. That means you might find yourself walking along a slippery track and through high water or tight squeezes. Come equipped with a flashlight and proper footwear and take care not to touch the cave walls. To reach Waipu Caves Road from SH1 take either Shoemaker Road from Waipu, or Springfield Road from the north. For a similar cave experience with a lower-risk factor try the Kawiti Caves/Waiomio Caves just south of Kawakawa at 49 Waiomio Rd. (tel. 09/404-0583). Admission is NZ$40 for adults; NZ$20 for children ages 5 to 15.
Back closer to the coast is Bennett’s of Mangawhal, 52 Moir St., Mangawhai (tel. 09/431-5500). It’s a short detour off the main highway from Auckland to Whangārei,. and when you enter its courtyard, you might think you’ve missed your turn and somehow wound up in the south of France. Creeping vines cover the atrium’s walls, and people linger over coffee around a fountain. There’s even a vendor selling fresh flowers. The main attraction, though, is the chocolat—handmade on-site by the Bennett family from raw Belgium chocolate. On weekdays, you can watch chocolatiers in action, producing massive chocolate fish (an iconic Kiwi treat containing raspberry-flavored marshmallow); feijoa caramel chocolates with vodka; and vegan truffles. Its latest offering is Mangawhai sea salt, which can also be found in the dark chocolate bars. It’s open daily from 9am to 4:30pm.
Kawakawa, 16km/10 miles south of Paihia, was mildly famous for being the only town in the country to have a railway line running through the middle of it. (Gabriel, the vintage steam train, still trundles through town on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Visit www.bayofislandsvintagerailway.org.nz for tickets and timetables.) That all changed in 1999 with the addition of an unlikely attraction—a public restroom on the main street. Designed by late Austrian artist Frederick Hundertwasser (whose legacy lives on in at Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei) the stalls are a kaleidoscope of light and color, with mosaic tiles, wonky walls, bottle windows and a tussock rooftop. They were so popular that in 2020, Kawakawa unveiled Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park, a town-center-like complex, inspired by Hundertwasser. Located right off the main street, it’s a freedom camper’s dream, with camping spots overlooking a creek, free Wi-Fi, clean showers and public restrooms that rival the original with rainbow-tiled floors.
Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve
Established in 1981, Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is a unique ecosystem where the clear waters near the edge of the Continental Shelf meet subtropical currents. The result is what’s widely considered one of the best subtropical diving locations in the world, with good year-round visibility, 125 species of fish and underwater cliffs, rock stacks, and sea caves (including one that’s believed to the largest in the world) to explore. It lies a one-hour boat ride offshore. Tutukaka (a 30-min. drive from Whangārei) is the closest access point.
The main tour operator is family-owned Dive! Tutukaka (tel. 0800/288-882 in NZ, or 09/434-3867). You’ll have no trouble finding it—just look for the World’s Largest Scuba Tank across from the marina, and you’ve arrived. The operator runs diving and snorkeling trips, including to two sunken Navy ships Tui and Waikato. Some of its fully qualified dive masters are award-winning underwater photographers, so if you have an underwater camera, this is the place to use it. Dives are from NZ$329 with hired gear; snorkeling is NZ$245. Tours run year-round but booking in advance for December or January is advised.
If you don’t snorkel or dive but still want to experience the Poor Knights, A Perfect Day (tel. 0800/288-882 in NZ) cruises include sightseeing, kayaking, cave explorations, snorkeling, swimming, and lunch. There’s even a “fish-cam” so you can see what’s happening underwater. Only operating during the summer months, it costs NZ$229 adults, NZ$129 for children under 15. A family pass for two adults and two children is $569 but must be booked directly.
With beaches comes surf, including at Waipu Cove Beach, where there’s plenty of parking and a busy oceanfront café, the Cove Waipu (tel. 09/432-0234) open daily from 9am until 9pm. During the summer, this is also where you can find Learn 2 Surf Waipu’s (tel. 021/719-773) kiosk set-up daily. Owners Grae and Ellen Snelling have over 15 years of experience teaching lessons and their approach makes it easy for even the uncoordinated to get up on their first go. Lessons are often available on the day-of, but it’s best to make a booking in advance. Ninety-minute groups lessons for kids are NZ$50, NZ$70 for adults 16 and up. Private lessons start at $100.
If you’re after a bit more of an adventure, drive 30 minutes inland on a gravel road and you’ll arrive at the Waipu Caves. They’re free to enter and feature stalactites, stalagmites, and glow worms, but they’re also undeveloped. That means you might find yourself walking along a slippery track and through high water or tight squeezes. Come equipped with a flashlight and proper footwear and take care not to touch the cave walls. To reach Waipu Caves Road from SH1 take either Shoemaker Road from Waipu, or Springfield Road from the north. For a similar cave experience with a lower-risk factor try the Kawiti Caves/Waiomio Caves just south of Kawakawa at 49 Waiomio Rd. (tel. 09/404-0583). Admission is NZ$40 for adults; NZ$20 for children ages 5 to 15.
Back closer to the coast is Bennett’s of Mangawhal, 52 Moir St., Mangawhai (tel. 09/431-5500). It’s a short detour off the main highway from Auckland to Whangārei,. and when you enter its courtyard, you might think you’ve missed your turn and somehow wound up in the south of France. Creeping vines cover the atrium’s walls, and people linger over coffee around a fountain. There’s even a vendor selling fresh flowers. The main attraction, though, is the chocolat—handmade on-site by the Bennett family from raw Belgium chocolate. On weekdays, you can watch chocolatiers in action, producing massive chocolate fish (an iconic Kiwi treat containing raspberry-flavored marshmallow); feijoa caramel chocolates with vodka; and vegan truffles. Its latest offering is Mangawhai sea salt, which can also be found in the dark chocolate bars. It’s open daily from 9am to 4:30pm.
Kawakawa, 16km/10 miles south of Paihia, was mildly famous for being the only town in the country to have a railway line running through the middle of it. (Gabriel, the vintage steam train, still trundles through town on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Visit www.bayofislandsvintagerailway.org.nz for tickets and timetables.) That all changed in 1999 with the addition of an unlikely attraction—a public restroom on the main street. Designed by late Austrian artist Frederick Hundertwasser (whose legacy lives on in at Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei) the stalls are a kaleidoscope of light and color, with mosaic tiles, wonky walls, bottle windows and a tussock rooftop. They were so popular that in 2020, Kawakawa unveiled Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park, a town-center-like complex, inspired by Hundertwasser. Located right off the main street, it’s a freedom camper’s dream, with camping spots overlooking a creek, free Wi-Fi, clean showers and public restrooms that rival the original with rainbow-tiled floors.
Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve
Established in 1981, Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is a unique ecosystem where the clear waters near the edge of the Continental Shelf meet subtropical currents. The result is what’s widely considered one of the best subtropical diving locations in the world, with good year-round visibility, 125 species of fish and underwater cliffs, rock stacks, and sea caves (including one that’s believed to the largest in the world) to explore. It lies a one-hour boat ride offshore. Tutukaka (a 30-min. drive from Whangārei) is the closest access point.
The main tour operator is family-owned Dive! Tutukaka (tel. 0800/288-882 in NZ, or 09/434-3867). You’ll have no trouble finding it—just look for the World’s Largest Scuba Tank across from the marina, and you’ve arrived. The operator runs diving and snorkeling trips, including to two sunken Navy ships Tui and Waikato. Some of its fully qualified dive masters are award-winning underwater photographers, so if you have an underwater camera, this is the place to use it. Dives are from NZ$329 with hired gear; snorkeling is NZ$245. Tours run year-round but booking in advance for December or January is advised.
If you don’t snorkel or dive but still want to experience the Poor Knights, A Perfect Day (tel. 0800/288-882 in NZ) cruises include sightseeing, kayaking, cave explorations, snorkeling, swimming, and lunch. There’s even a “fish-cam” so you can see what’s happening underwater. Only operating during the summer months, it costs NZ$229 adults, NZ$129 for children under 15. A family pass for two adults and two children is $569 but must be booked directly.
