i have found several web sites listing driving times but this cannot be right? if the distance is 270 kms, how can the driving time be 11 hours? can anyone tell me how far, one way, it will be from auckland airport to paihia? thanks a lot!

They drive real slow in NZ. - NOT!

Did that last Feb. By the most direct route you can count on 3-4 hours. It is easy to spend longer if you deviate a bit to the west side to see the nice parks/National Forests and beaches there.
Ciao.

Yes, allow between 3 and 4 hours, you will probably want to stop a few times, Whangarei is a nice city and has some good lunch stops in the city centre.
Going the western route takes quite a bit longer, good to do that on the way back if you have time.

that's a relief! thanks.

Is Paihia considered Bay of Islands? It seems to be a 2 hr drive. But the cruises I was looking at say they are Bay of Islands....

Do they just cruise UP there??

I don't want to plan a trip up there if I really need 3-4 hrs of driving time! Not practical in my limited time!

thanks
Shannon

Alise, Up from where and a 2 hour drive from where?
You are not being specific or clear but I assume you mean Auckland. No, it is not a 2 hour drive as we have just indicated. And boats do not cruise to the Bay of Islands from Auckland unless you're on a large cruise ship and doing the Pacific islands, eg Fiji and perhaps Australia etc., The day cruises in the BOI leave from Paihia and call into Russell which is about ten minutes by boat from
Paihia. These two places are in the district of the Bay of Islands, both on the mainland.
If you want a shorter trip to an island you are best to do a day cruise from Auckland to our close in islands or over night on Waiheke Island.

sorry...yes I meant Auckland as the FROM location.

I don't mind driving the 2 hrs to Paihia to see the sites and get the boat ride I want. We are both comfortable driving on the left. So one of us can sleep and the other drive!