Bay Of Islands In New Zealand

It’s situated inland and by gentle rolling hills and farms growing grapes, oranges, avocados, and kiwifruit—look for the roadside farm stands or go to the weekend farmers market. There’s a bathroom and info board with a map, but there are no particulars of the walks, so download the brochure from the DOC web site upfront. Sunset over the Bay of Islands from Tapeka PointIt’s a steep but brief 1km return stroll that took us about 20 minutes.

If you like beaches, views, walks and birds then you’ll love Urupukapuka Island. The island is also alive with birdsong thanks to it being a predator-free sanctuary. When you’re finished on the island, deal with your self to a drink or ice cream at the island’s bar earlier than taking the ferry again to Paihia. If you ask us, this is among the best things to do in the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is a small and gorgeous district of New Zealand’s Northland region. On the coast, you might have the primary hub of Paihia and Waitangi where you’ll find many of the water-based actions of the area.

One of our favourite Bay of Islands activities is to hike across the whole island. We walked an 11.5km loop to most of the bays, but there are plenty of shorter hikes. Urupukapuka Island is the biggest island in the Bay of Islands, and it’s properly price spending the day there in addition to a ship cruise. Full-Day Tall Ship Sailing Excursion – The Tucker Thompson tall ship is an impressive sight and a enjoyable approach to discover the bay. You may help sail the schooner, climb the rigging, or simply chill out and enjoy the view.

There is a land connection to Russell on the old Russell Road by way of Helena Bay, but it’s a really winding highway that takes lots longer than the ferry route. A Northland must-see is the Te Paki Stream Giant Sand Dunes, a 20-minute drive from Cape Reinga. The highlight is the Cape Reinga lighthouse on the sting of a rocky cape where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet—it looks like the end of the world. The Far North is wild and beautiful with lengthy empty beaches and dramatic coastal surroundings. Kerikeri is about an hour’s drive from Russell and half-hour from Paihia.

Is Bay Of Islands Worth Visiting?

The 1,148ft boardwalk here winds through the forest and is suitable for buggies and wheelchairs, it’ll take simply 15 minutes from begin to finish. That’s proper, Russell was New Zealand’s first capital and was once known as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific”. Walk up to Flagstaff Hill and get some superior views of Russell and the bay.

We appreciated strolling right here at low tide when the patterns within the sand were uncovered. A return stroll from one finish of the seaside to the opposite took us about 25 minutes. View from Flagstaff HillOne of the best issues to do in Russell is visit Flagstaff Hill Historic Reserve.