Hokianga Travel Guide
Places to stay and things to do in Hokianga
Rich in Maori history and the place where Kupe first walked on Aotearoa, the region surrounds the historic Hokianga Harbour and joins the Twin Coast Cycle Trail.
The Hokianga is the perfect base for a action packed holiday as there is so much to see and do. The warmer climate makes for the ideal year-round destination.
As the region is on the West Coast of NZ, it is one of the best places to see some of the most amazing sunsets in the country.
Stay at one of the unique accommodation options on the beach, farmland or in sub-tropical gardens. Trek or cycle the trails, take a harbour cruise, sandboard down the 300 metre high sand dunes, go on a jetski safari, hire a kayak or paddleboard, go fishing, swim in the sub-tropical waters, play golf, visit a museum or enjoy great food at one of the many cafes & restaurants.
Pou Herenga Tai - Twin Coast Cycle Trail travels from the beautiful Bay of Islands to the remote and scenic Hokianga Harbour, or vice versa. The trail can be ridden all year round due to the regions sub-tropical climate.
Join Footprints Waipoua on a guided tour of the Waipoua Forest. Local guides take you on a memorable journey through nature's stages of evolution, whilst providing a mythological and interactive interpretation of life in the forest with some of the largest remaining kauri trees in the world.
The Kohu Ra Tuarua daily vehicle ferry is the link across the harbour for cyclists and holidaymakers, making it easy to explore the entire region. The ferry departs from Rawene (South terminal) and arrives in The Narrows (Nothern terminal). The trip takes just 15 minutes. The ferry is the water link of the Twin Coast Cycle Trail, and regarded as part highway of the Twin Coast Discovery route.
Take a scenic bushwalk to the Wairere Boulders in Horeke; a private nature reserve with geologically rare rock formations. Over millions of years, the rock has crumbled down into a valley where enormous multi-storey boulders now lie.
History of Hokianga
Local Maori trace their heritage right back to the discovery of the harbour, making the region one of the most historic in New Zealand. At Arai Te Uru Recreational Reserve walk where Kupe first walked when he first landed on Aotearoa.
New Zealand's 3rd oldest European settlement is Rawene, home to historic Clendon House. Explore Kohukohu, an historic timber mill town, and Horeke, NZ's 2nd oldest European settlement. Nearby Mangungu Mission House is the site of the second signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Opononi is renowned for its beauty worldwide, from the mountainous sand dunes in the pristine harbour to the magical kauri forests. In 1956, Opononi came into the limelight due to the exploits of an exuberant dolphin called Opo who was so friendly she would allow children to ride on her back. Today pods of dolphin and orca can be seen playing in the harbour and waterways.
Getting There
Heading North from Auckland
- State Highway 12: Opononi is approximately a 3.5 hour (262km) drive from Auckland travelling through the scenic Waipoua forest, home of the giant Kauri tree Tane Mahuta.
- State Highway 1: Kaikohe is just over a 3 hour drive (233km) from Auckland travelling through Wellsford & Whangarei
Heading South from the Bay of Islands Airport (Kerikeri)
- State Highway 12: Rawene is about a 1 hour drive (64.5km) from the Bay of Islands Airport travelling through Kaikohe.
