NZ: Northland & Bay of Islands 10 days
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NZ: Northland & Bay of Islands 10 days
My husband & I have traveled to New Zealand several times and are planning a trip there early next year. After flying to Auckland from the S.I. we are in Coromandel for a week. We've never been to the Bay of Islands, Northland area and plan to spend ten days there before returning to US. We'll have car and prefer to stay in one or two places and sightsee from there with days in between to just relax and enjoy the area we're in. That being said we're having trouble figuring out this part of the trip.
* Is it reasonable to drive from Coromandel to Russell in one day?
* We'd like to stay in Russell at least part of the ten days. If so, can we drive to Cape Reingo and return in a day?
* What are the "Don't miss" sights in the Northland area, especially the west side since we'd be on the east side? Kauri forest?
* If we stayed in a second place, what would be the best option?
Any help with fellow travelers if greatly appreciated.
Patricia
* Is it reasonable to drive from Coromandel to Russell in one day?
* We'd like to stay in Russell at least part of the ten days. If so, can we drive to Cape Reingo and return in a day?
* What are the "Don't miss" sights in the Northland area, especially the west side since we'd be on the east side? Kauri forest?
* If we stayed in a second place, what would be the best option?
Any help with fellow travelers if greatly appreciated.
Patricia
#2
Join Date: May 2015
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Coromandel - do you mean Coromandel village or somewhere in the peninsula known as Coromandel? I am not being picky but Coromandel village is to the north of the peninsula and a longer drive than say if you were at Thames.
It's about 400 km between the two with getting through Auckland the hard part. The problem with Auckland is that the motorway is also the main highway so it's really the only choice of road. AA Maps which are much more accurate than Google allows 6 hours which is a long drive so staying a night at Orewa or Warkworth would break up the trip.
You can drive to Cape Reinga but again another long day. An organised tour might allow you to sightsee more and enjoy the view from the bus. It's about 3.5 hours each way.
Waitangi where New Zealand's treaty was signed is worth a look. Many lovely beaches up North - what time of the year are you coming? Mangonui and Cooper's Beach are nice. Great fish and chips at the Mangonui fish shop.
On the west Tane Mahuta and the kauri forest are worth stopping for a look.
Rawene is a cute place for a few nights. The west coast is quite different to the east in the BOI. Bayly's Beach is
a long wild beach. There is nothing much at Dargaville really to keep you there. Generally the east coast is the more scenic with the better beaches.
As you move south Tutukaka, Lang's Beach and Mangonui are also cute places by the beach. A night here would break up the trip back to Auckland.
It's about 400 km between the two with getting through Auckland the hard part. The problem with Auckland is that the motorway is also the main highway so it's really the only choice of road. AA Maps which are much more accurate than Google allows 6 hours which is a long drive so staying a night at Orewa or Warkworth would break up the trip.
You can drive to Cape Reinga but again another long day. An organised tour might allow you to sightsee more and enjoy the view from the bus. It's about 3.5 hours each way.
Waitangi where New Zealand's treaty was signed is worth a look. Many lovely beaches up North - what time of the year are you coming? Mangonui and Cooper's Beach are nice. Great fish and chips at the Mangonui fish shop.
On the west Tane Mahuta and the kauri forest are worth stopping for a look.
Rawene is a cute place for a few nights. The west coast is quite different to the east in the BOI. Bayly's Beach is
a long wild beach. There is nothing much at Dargaville really to keep you there. Generally the east coast is the more scenic with the better beaches.
As you move south Tutukaka, Lang's Beach and Mangonui are also cute places by the beach. A night here would break up the trip back to Auckland.
#3
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We switched the dates so that we arrive Auckland in March and tour the Northlands area first for nine days and then Coromandel (Thames) for a week. We would then be able to have a bit more time to sightsee on the way to Russell.
We like the idea of staying in Russell for a few days and relaxing and hiking around there. It sounds best to leave there and stay farther north to explore Cape Reinga as I had no idea how long it would take. Your information is really helpful. Thanks so much, Patricia
We like the idea of staying in Russell for a few days and relaxing and hiking around there. It sounds best to leave there and stay farther north to explore Cape Reinga as I had no idea how long it would take. Your information is really helpful. Thanks so much, Patricia
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Kaitaia would be okay for a night's stopover. It's not high on the tourist circuit but it does get you closer to Cape Reinga. After CR you can head to the west coast and look at the kauri trees.
New Zealand gets busy at Easter as it is also school holidays then. Traffic through Auckland can get pretty congested on certain days.
New Zealand gets busy at Easter as it is also school holidays then. Traffic through Auckland can get pretty congested on certain days.
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Hi tasmangirl: Kaitaia is very helpful as a stopping place to make the circle around that area. We didn't plan to fly out Easter weekend, but that's just how it worked out. You've been a great help with this.
Thanks so much,
Patricia
Thanks so much,
Patricia