Northland and the Bay of Islands
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Northland and the Bay of Islands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Matakohe Kauri Museum
South of Dargaville is Matakohe, a pocket-size town with this singularly outstanding attraction. The museum's intriguing collection of artifacts, tools, photographs, documents, and memorabilia traces the story of the pioneers who settled this area in the second half of the 19th century—a story interwoven with the kauri forests. The furniture and a complete kauri house are among the superb examples of craftsmanship. One of the most fascinating displays is of kauri gum, the transparent lumps of resin that form when the sticky sap of the kauri tree hardens. This gum, which was used to make varnish, can be polished to a warm, lustrous finish that looks remarkably like amber—right down to the occasional insects trapped and preserved inside—and this collection is the biggest in the world. Volunteers Hall contains a huge kauri slab running from one end of the hall to the other, and there is also a reproduction of a cabinetmaker's shop, and a chain-saw exhibit. The Steam Saw Mill illustrates how the huge kauri logs were cut into timber. Perhaps the best display is the two-story replica of a late 1800s to early 1900s boardinghouse. Rooms are set up as they were more than 100 years ago; you can walk down the hallways and peer in at the goings-on of the era. If you like the whirring of engines, the best day to visit is Wednesday, when much of the museum's machinery is started up.
5 Church Rd., Matakohe, Northland, 0593, New Zealand64-09-431–7417Sight Details
Rate Includes: NZ$25 -
2. Waipoua State Forest
Kauri forests once covered this region, and Waipoua State Forest contains the largest collection of the remaining trees although many are currently under threat from a disease known as Kauri Dieback. Because of this, always check with the center to see if the forest is open the day you visit. If it is open, a short path leads from the parking area on the main road through the forest to Tane Mahuta, "Lord of the Forest," and the largest tree in New Zealand. It stands nearly 173 feet high, measures 45 feet around its base, and is 1,200 to 2,500 years old. The second-largest tree, older by some 800 years, is Te Matua Ngahere, about a 20-minute walk from the road. If you have a few hours to spare you can visit Te Matua Ngahere and other trees of note. Head to the Kauri Walks parking lot about a mile south of the main Tane Mahuta parking lot. From there you trek past the Four Sisters, four kauri trees that have grown together in a circular formation, then the Yakas Tree (named after an old kauri-gum digger), and Te Matua Ngahere. The forest has a campground—check at the visitor center before you pitch a tent. Facilities include toilets, hot showers, and a communal cookhouse. When it's wet, you may spot large kauri snails in the forest. Also, the successful eradication of predators such as weasels and stoats has led to a rise in the number of kiwis in the forest. You'll need a flashlight to spot one because the birds only come out at night. The Waipoua campground and Waipoua Visitor Centre is managed by Te Iwi O Te Roroa, the local Māori tribe.
1 Waipoua River Rd., Waipoua, Northland, New Zealand64-09-439–6445 -
3. Waitangi National Trust Estate
Take in a major site in New Zealand's history at the northern end of Paihia to gain a better understanding of the turbulent relationship between Māori and the British colonizers. The Treaty House on Waitangi Treaty Grounds is a simple white-timber cottage and was prefabricated in New South Wales for British resident James Busby, who arrived in New Zealand in 1832. Busby had been appointed to protect British commerce and put an end to the brutalities of the whaling captains against the Māori, but he lacked the judicial authority and the force of arms necessary to impose peace. The real significance of the Treaty House lies in the events that took place here on February 6, 1840, the day the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Māori chiefs and Captain William Hobson, representing the British crown. The treaty was the first formal document that bound the Māori to the British crown, and it became the basis for Britain's claim to the entire country as its colony. The visitor center presents the events that led to the Treaty of Waitangi. You'll also be able to experience kapa haka, a live Māori cultural performance. The center also displays Māori artifacts and weapons, including a musket that belonged to Hone Heke Pokai, the first Māori chief to sign the treaty, who would later go on to attack the British in their stronghold at Russell. From the visitor center, follow a short track (trail) through the forest to Ngatoki Matawhaorua (ng-ga-to-ki ma-ta-fa-oh-roo-ah), a Māori war canoe.
Waitangi Rd., Waitangi, Northland, 0252, New Zealand09-402–7437Sight Details
Rate Includes: NZ$50 -
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