Ninety Mile Beach

Ninety Mile Beach is the fabled strip of sand that stretches from Ahipara to Scott Point, five kilometres south of Cape Maria van Diemen. Truth be told, it is actually 88 kilometres long.

This beach is officially a highway, but is really only suitable for 4WD vehicles. Rental companies won’t allow their cars on the sand, mostly for safety reasons. The easy way to drive along the beach is to catch a coach tour from Kaitaia.

Beach activities range from surfcasting and swimming to bodyboarding down the sand dunes. A special treat is digging for tuatua (a native shellfish) in the sand at low tide. Flanking the beach is the Aupouri Forest, which provides a green escape from the hot sun.

Once a year, usually during the last week of February, 90 Mile Beach hosts a five day fishing competition. Hundreds of anglers surf cast from the beach, hoping to catch the biggest snapper.

Cape Reinga

At the northwestern tip of the North Island, Cape Reinga is a place of intense cultural and spiritual significance to Maori. The ancient pohutukawa tree that clings to the cliffs is the reinga, 'the place of leaping'. According to Maori folklore, the spirits of the dead leap off the headland and descend down the roots of the tree into the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiiki. This tree is believed to be about 800 years and is said to have never blossomed.

The lighthouse at Cape Reinga is a New Zealand scenic icon. Built in 1941, it replaced a lighthouse which was located on nearby Motuopao Island. The light flashes every 12 seconds and can be seen for 19 nautical miles.

If you look north from the cape, you’ll see where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean collide. Even on calm days, the water is in turmoil as currents fight to gain dominance over each other.

Hokianga

Hokianga-Nui-A-Kupe means 'the place of Kupe's great return'. Many iwi (Maori tribes) trace their ancestry back to the legendary Polynesian explorer Kupe who, with his crew, voyaged deep into the southern ocean to find New Zealand. Northland iwi claim the first landfall of Kupe's waka was on the shores of the Hokianga Harbour. Most Northland Maori can trace their ancestry to the Hokianga region; many of the country's bicultural families also have their origins here.

If you approach the Hokianga region from the south you'll have the opportunity to drive through Waipoua Forest, home of Tane Mahuta, New Zealand's largest kauri tree. Soon after you exit the forest, the Hokianga Harbour will appear dramatically in front of you. You'll see huge white sand dunes on the northern side and the twin beach towns of Omapere and Opononi on the southern side.

The Hokianga's largest town is Rawene, New Zealand’s third oldest European settlement and the home of historic Clendon house. The mangrove boardwalk makes a great stroll. From Rawene a vehicular ferry provides a connection to the other side of the harbour and the settlement of Kohukohu.

Near the settlement of Horeke is a natural phenomenon known as the Wairere Boulders. Amassed along a valley floor, this stream of huge rocks and boulders is 1.5 kilometres long. At first glance the rocks appear to be limestone formations, but they are actually basalt. The fluting on the boulders is caused by acids leaching from the kauri forests that used to exist in the area.

The Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is a micro-region that includes the towns of Opua, Paihia, Russell and Kerikeri, as well as a large area of offshore islands between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula. A passenger ferry service runs between Paihia and Russell, while a vehicular ferry provides a link between Opua and Okiato.

The best way to discover the beauty of the Bay of Islands is to charter a yacht, join a daily cruise or hire a sea kayak. Many tour operators in the region offer excellent trips to spectacular Cape Brett and the ‘Hole in the Rock’ on Piercy Island.

Once you’re around Tapeka Point, which is just north of Russell, you’ll enter a maritime adventure playground with an abundance of wildlife including penguins, dolphins, marlin, whales, gannets and many other species. Most of the islands in the bay have walking tracks and there is a camping ground on Urupukapuka Island (administered by the Department of Conservation).

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

Waitangi is one of New Zealand's most significant historic sites. It's the place where the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs. The treaty agreed the terms by which New Zealand would become a British colony.

Today the Treaty Grounds are an opportunity to learn about Maori culture and the historical events associated with the signing of the treaty. You can visit the Treaty House, to see a replica of the original treaty; you can see a fully carved Maori meeting house and one of the largest Maori war canoes in the country; and you can watch an informative, and highly entertaining, audio visual presentation at the visitor centre. Live kapahaka performances are also held regularly.

Not only is Waitangi engaging from an educational point of view; it's also a very beautiful place to explore. From the small semi-formal garden that surrounds the Treaty House to the six kilometre forest walk that leads to Haruru Falls, the natural environment is spectacular. The shoreline provides a continuously changing panorama of the bay where warriors, whalers, sailors and settlers arrived in New Zealand.