ishki

I am planning 6 nights in the Northland/Bay of Islands area in November. We haven't been to that part of the North Island before and my question is - should we base ourselves for the whole 6 nights somewhere like Paihia and do daytrips from there, or should we have 3 nights in Paihia and 3 nights somewhere else to see more of the area. Thanks in advance.

heathy

Hello ishki

If you don' mind travelling for up to three hours return for the odd daytrip, then Paihia would make an excellent base.

Some of the roads between various scenic spots are hilly and windy - a pain if you have young children ! If you are travelling with youngsters then perhaps it would be a good idea to make Tutukaka a base for a couple of nights.

Otherwise arrange your accommodation in Paihia. You can always leave a few days early and head off elsewhere if you've had enough. You shouldn't have any problems finding places to stay in November.

Its a lovely part of the country. Im sure you'll have a wonderful time.

heathy

Sorry ! That should read winding road . Although no doubt they can at times be windy !

ishki

Thanks heathy. There will just be the two of us, and I am now thinking of maybe 4 nights in Paihia and 2 in Opononi to see the sights on the west coast. I have another question - is the long trip to Cape Reinga a must-do or would our time be better spent elsewhere?

heathy

Hello again ishki

Cape Reinga is one of those places you feel obliged to see if you are a NZer. Its certainly a place of great spiritual significance to Maori - as you would have read.

However I wouldn't place it as a "must do " if you are on a tight schedule. There are more picturesque places to visit. Of course others may disagree.

Have you considered an eco tourism trip to the Poor Knights ? IMO this is a "must do ".

carylspall

Last October we took the "long and windy"road to Cape Reinga. It had started to rain and I said to my husband we should turn back. he insisted we should carry on seeing as we'd travelled from the other side of the world and had got so far already blah blah blah! I was utterly fed up!
The scenery was so bleak(the rain didnt help of course)and I was getting ratty and hungry! When we eventually reached the end of the road we decided to have a greasy snack in the cafe. There was a woman in there who said she'd been out to the lighthouse, but had to lay down on the ground as the wind was so strong and there was no view anyway because of the weather. We turned back thank goodness, but it was the worst day of our holiday."I told you so!" was on the tip of my tongue! No way would I waste time going there again - even on a fine day as it was too much like where I live - in Scotland.