mytravelbugbite

After over 24 hours of travel across time zones we were feeling a bit spaced out by the time we arrived in New Zealand, not helped by the hour and a half we spent getting through the various queues at the airport biosecurity checks. Due to this we only had the energy to collect our hire care and drive up to our first nights accommodation in Whangaparaoa. We stayed at the Whangaparaoa Lodge which had plenty of space for us to crash out for the night.

The next morning we were awake early and strolled across the road to the beach where we were able to watch a beautiful sunrise before our breakfast was brought to our room. We had a short leg stretch wandering around the town before packing up the car and heading further North.

Our first stop of the day was in Whangarei for lunch at a popular fast food place called Cheeky Chooks, who specialise in crispy chicken with various sauces. Fraser seemed to really enjoy it, I found it too much in the hot weather and with my body clock still thinking it was the middle of the night.

It was a very short drive from here to the car park at Whangarei Falls where the Hatea River tumbles 26m over a basalt lava flow. We took a short but occasionally steep loop trail to view the falls from different angles both above and from below. They were pretty and made for a good way to break up to journey.

Our next stop was along the coast at the Matapouri where we parked in the Whale Bay walk car park. We completed a short walk to both Whale Bay where there is a scenic beach and a lookout point up above the cliffs. The whole area was stunning, especially in the sunshine. We decided against completing the whole loop due to time pressures but it was a beautiful stop that was well worth the slight detour to visit.

We then proceeded up the coast to the Copthorne Hotel and Resort just outside the centre of Paihia for another early night meaning we were up nice and early again to grab some breakfast prior to out days activity. We walked from the hotel into the centre of town and ate at El Cafe which had a variety of breakfast burritos. It was small but seemingly very popular with a flow of people coming in.

We were booked on to the Bayscapes Bay of Islands catamaran tour (booked through GetYourGuide) for the day. This tour took us out to Moturua Island where we were able to pick which activities we wanted to do. We were free to do as much or as little as you wanted in the 2 hours we were there. We started with short hike from Waiti Bay to Mangahawea Bay along the Moturua Island Track. Whilst the distance was not excessive, the route was straight up and over the headland so would not be ideal for anyone with mobility problems however it was more than worth the effort. We were particularly lucky as we were the first to reach the bay and so for a while we had the full beach to ourselves which was absolutely stunning.

Following this we used the catamaran equipment first to have a paddleboard around Waiti Bay and then to have a swim in the sea where I was able to see the few fish in the area. Lunch was provided during this time also though it was pot luck which sandwich filling you received which was not quite ideal for a picky eater like myself.

The way back to Paihia involved putting the sails up for a more chilled journey and we were encouraged to look out for wildlife, there was one very brief sighting of a local Little Blue penguin but apparently the usual dolphin pod in the area hadn’t been spotted for a while. Once back on the shore we went for a drink and pizza before heading back to our hotel.

The next morning we made our way back south with a stop at Mangawhai en route. We had planned to go up both viewpoints from the Mangawhai Heads car park however one route was closed. The short climb up to the open lookout was very pretty and proved to be a nice way to stretch the legs. The town of Mangawhai had a relaxed vibe so we grabbed some lunch here before travelling to our next destination south of Auckland.